Fatah and Hamas representatives will meet in Cairo on October 24 to sign a reconciliation agreement, Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hossam Zaki said Tuesday.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit had said Monday that a ceremony formalizing the Palestinian factions' reconciliation would take place on October 26. Zaki said that all Arab foreign ministers, plus representatives of the United States, the European Union, Russia and the United Nations would be invited.
The agreement is expected to require the Palestinian Authority to hold both presidential and parliamentary elections in the first half of 2010. It will also set up a panel under PA President Mahmoud Abbas to oversee reconstruction of the Gaza Strip.
A special 3,000-member police force comprised of both Fatah and Hamas members will handle Gaza's security.
Palestinian analysts said even if a deal is signed, questions remain about implementation - namely, whether Hamas will cede control of Gaza and whether the PA will release all imprisoned Hamas members.
