Hamas cancels talks with Fatah in Cairo

Unity talks between Fatah and Hamas stalled yesterday, when a delegation of senior Hamas officials canceled a scheduled trip to Cairo to discuss an Egyptian proposal for reconciliation between the two Palestinian groups.

It was not immediately clear if Hamas canceled on its own initiative or in response to a request by Egypt.

There has been tension between Cairo and Hamas due to the group's evasive response to Cairo's proposal, the East Jerusalem-based newspaper Al Quds reported yesterday.

Hamas has said it was willing in principle to accept the reconciliation proposal, but also demanded that it be altered. However, the Palestinian Authority and Palestine Liberation Organization leaders said they wouldn't agree to any changes.

Against the backdrop of the dispute, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said he planned to set January 25 as the date for the next general elections for the presidency and the parliament.

Abbas' popularity has waned since June, and he would run neck-and-neck with Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh if presidential elections were held now, according to a poll released yesterday.

Abbas would receive 16.8 percent of the vote, compared with 16 percent for Haniyeh, according to the Jerusalem Media and Communications Center.

Haniyeh was also the politician respondents trusted the most, scoring 14.2 percent to Abbas' 12.1 percent. In the previous poll in June, Abbas' rating stood at 17.8 percent.

In addition, a majority of respondents - 55.6 percent - said they were "somewhat unsatisfied" or "very unsatisfied" with the way Abbas was performing as president.

The drop in Abbas' popularity did not carry over into his Fatah party, which would receive 40 percent of the vote in elections, compared to 18.7 percent for Hamas.