Egypt extends deadline for Palestinian unity talks to July 28
By Avi Issacharoff, Haaretz Correspondent, and Reuters Last update - 22:35
30/06/2009
www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1096758.html

Egypt gave Fatah and Hamas a further three weeks Tuesday to resolve their
political divisions and end bickering marked by clashes and security
crackdowns in Gaza and the West Bank.

The sides will leave Egypt and return for a final negotiating round on July
25, after it became clear they would miss the previous July 7 deadline set
by Egypt.

"It was decided to give the two sides an additional chance and time to make
progress on the ground, especially on the issue of political detainees, and
make a real breakthrough that would help achieve national reconciliation,"
Hamas official Ezzat el-Rishiq, who is in Cairo, told Reuters.

Arrests and counter arrests by forces loyal to the two groups have hampered
efforts to restore political unity and boost prospects for a resumption of
peace-making with Israel.

Rishiq said if the two factions met the new deadline, leaders of all
Palestinian groups would be invited by Cairo to sign a reconciliation deal
at a ceremony on July 28.

A deal would aim to gradually end divisions by setting up a joint committee
to handle the reconstruction of Gaza following the Israel Defense Forces'
three-week offensive there in January. It would also prepare for
presidential and parliamentary elections in Gaza and the West Bank, and
reform Palestinian security services.

Earlier Tuesday the head of the Fatah parliamentary faction, Azzam al-Ahmed,
reported progress in his party's reconciliation talks with rival Hamas, and
said the two sides were set to announce the establishment of a joint
security body for the Gaza Strip.

The new security agency will comprise some 3,000 members and operate in
Gaza, where the militant Hamas seized power in June 2006, following days of
bloody confrontations between the two groups.

The understanding was reached after a stormy week of discussions between
Fatah and Hamas in Cairo, in which the two sides accused each other of
harassment and of trying to thwart the discussions.

Fatah officials also accused Hamas of planning to assassinate several senior
Palestinian Authority officials.