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Last update - 19:18 06/07/2008 Abbas meets Assad on prospects for Fatah-Hamas reconciliation By News Agencies Tags: Hamas, Israel, Syria, Fatah Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas traveled to Syria on Sunday looking for insight on his Islamist rivals' attitudes to reconciliation - but he had no plans to meet the Hamas leader in person while in Damascus. Palestinian officials said Abbas's two-day visit to Damascus, where Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal lives in exile, would focus on discussions of Arab efforts to help end the rift between Hamas and Abbas's Fatah movement following the Islamists' violent takeover of the Gaza Strip a year ago. Abbas would discuss the issues with Syrian President Bashar Assad but, senior Abbas aide Yasser Abed Rabbo told Reuters, "President Abbas will not meet Meshaal in Damascus or anywhere else before Hamas commits to end its coup in Gaza." Advertisement Palestinian officials said the gaps between Hamas on the one hand and Fatah and other factions of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) on the other were still wide, three weeks after Abbas, who heads the Palestinian Authority, made a public call for a national dialogue to end Hamas's control over Gaza. A senior member of the PLO committee preparing for national dialogue, Saleh Rafat, said Abbas was trying to explore Hamas's positions through Arab mediators before Egypt can call for a direct dialogue to end the rift between the West Bank and Gaza. "President Abbas has discussed with the Arabs, and will discuss with Assad, whether Hamas is ready to hand over Palestinian Authority institutions to an Arab League committee and Arab security experts, whether it would implement the Yemeni initiative by forming a new government of technocrats and hold early elections," Rafat said. Abbas called for dialogue to implement a Yemeni initiative for reconciliation that calls on Hamas to end what Abbas refers to as a "coup" in Gaza, and form a new government that would prepare for early presidential and parliamentary elections. Hamas has said it wants a dialogue with Fatah only and insists on talks without any preconditions. Arab diplomats said Egypt, which last month helped broker a truce between Hamas and Israel, was ready to host a dialogue between Palestinian factions but will only do so after receiving assurances that Hamas agreed to implement the Yemeni initiative. Senior Hamas official Khalil Abu Laila said Hamas's position was "to hold talks with Fatah on the basis of no preconditions and to discuss all the issues at the negotiating table." Abbas dismissed a Hamas-led government last June following its seizure of the Gaza Strip and appointed a Western-backed government in the West Bank. Hamas, backed by Syria and Iran, has consolidated its power in Gaza despite sanctions imposed by Israel and its Western allies and much of the Arab world. Abbas has lately held talks with Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa and other Arab leaders to try to convince Hamas to soften its position and end the rift that has undermined Abbas's negotiating position with Israel in statehood talks. Meanwhile, chief Abbas aide Saeb Erekat said Sunday that the Palestinian president would meet with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert next week, July 13, on the sidelines of an international summit in Paris. Following the meeting, the Palestinian negotiating team will head to Washington for talks with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. Related articles: Poll: Abbas more popular than Haniyeh after call for Hamas dialogue Report: Abbas to meet Meshal in bid to renew Fatah-Hamas dialogue Qureia: Fatah signed reconciliation draft with Hamas due to mixup Bookmark to del.icio.us   Killing spree Police conclude Jerusalem bulldozer killer acted alone. The Bar exam Attention celebrities: Israeli start-up company can save you from paparazzi   1.   Two losers and a nobody meet in Paris 20:23  |  Jeremy 06/07/08   2.   We`ll see if they forgive each other as Israel forgives them 20:31  |  x-ray 06/07/08   3.   the day hamas and fatah reconciles will be the day i personally 20:43  |  terrornator 06/07/08   4.   Abass reconciliation means lets have a party 21:23  |  Philippe 06/07/08   5.   smoke&mirrors,smoke and mirrors! 01:38  |  lakshmi 07/07/08   6.   Abbas who? 04:30  |  Harold 07/07/08

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