Fayyad presents Fatah, Hamas reconciliation plan
By Barak Ravid and Avi Issacharoff Haaretz 4 July 2008
www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/998829.html

Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad recently presented a national
reconciliation plan for rival groups Fatah and Hamas. At the crux of the
plan is an initiative to deploy an Egyptian security delegation to the Gaza
Strip; it will act as an arbitrator between the opposing sides and supervise
the disarmament of Palestinian groups and unification of security
organizations.

A source privy to the details of the proposal said Fayyad believes the
cease-fire in the Gaza Strip is the right time to push for such a move.

The same source added that Fayyad considers the cease-fire fragile;
therefore the speedy adoption of a reconciliation plan is imperative.

Fayyad's plan comprises three elements: an internal Palestinian security
agreement, a transition government and a date for new parliamentary and
presidential elections.

By signing an internal Palestinian security agreement, an important
condition that was missing in the Mecca Accords (signed between Fatah and
Hamas several weeks prior to Hamas' takeover of the Strip) will be
fulfilled. Under this deal, the Palestinian Authority will ask Egypt to
dispatch a security delegation to the Strip, and possibly even a military
force to oversee the implementation of the security.

This agreement will also include a process for disarming Palestinian groups.
Initially there will be no attempt to require Hamas or the other factions to
surrender their arms, but they will have to promise not to make use of them.

Secondly, a transition government will be set up, which will be responsible
for both the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, and which will comprise officials
unaffiliated with any party and acceptable to both Fatah and Hamas.

Third, Hamas and Fatah will agree on a date for presidential and
parliamentary elections, in order to resolve the current political deadlock.

Presidential elections are currently scheduled to take place in January, and
parliamentary elections are due in two years.

Palestinian sources said that no real reconciliation talks will take place
in the near future, despite the fact that parts of the proposed agreement
are acceptable to both sides.

The same sources said that Fayyad suffers from tensions in his relationship
with Fatah and Hamas' distrust; Hamas considers him a Fatah stooge.