The Palestinian president and the exiled political leader of the militant group Hamas held a rare meeting on Friday in the Egyptian capital -- their first since their sides formed a coalition government, officials from both camps said.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas of the moderate Fatah movement and Hamas' supreme leader, Khaled Mashaal, were to discuss the troubled cease-fire with Israel, international sanctions against the Palestinians, the PLO restructuring in which Hamas wants a part, as well as other issues facing the recently formed government.
Neither side commented on their discussion after the conclusion of the meeting.
Soldier's fate
According to Saeb Erekat, a top aide to Abbas, also on the agenda would be the fate of Israeli soldier Corporal Gilad Shalit, seized last June by Hamas-affiliated militants from an Israeli military camp on the border with the Gaza Strip.
The kidnapping provoked an Israeli military offensive that killed more than 200 Palestinians. Hamas has said Shalit would be released only in return for Palestinians jailed in Israeli prisons.
Release
Egypt has tried to negotiate Shalit's release for months and has blamed Hamas for failing to conclude the deal.
Israeli Infrastructure Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer, who visited Cairo in October, said that his government had accepted Egypt's conditions for a prisoner swap and blamed Mashaal for the failure to conclude the deal.
Hamas' representative in Lebanon, Osama Hamdan, said that the meeting would also consider a "restructuring" of the Palestinian Liberation Organization. The umbrella group -- which is separate from the newly formed Fatah-Hamas government -- is the sole party authorized to conduct negotiations with Israel.
Pressure
Since the coalition government was approved in March, Hamas has been pressing to acquire the post of deputy chairman of the PLO, apparently jostling for more influence in talks with Israel.
The meeting on Friday was also to discuss Abbas' seven-nation tour of EU countries this month -- his latest attempt to persuade Europe to end the aid cutoff and fully resume dealings with Palestinian government.
Financial aid
Direct financial aid to the Palestinian Authority was frozen after Islamic Hamas militants swept to power in January elections last year, but Abbas has argued the cutoff should be lifted because the new unity government includes members of his more moderate Fatah party.
During Friday prayers, Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas said that the "Palestinians are waiting for a strong, clear movement from the Europeans that reflects the choices of the Palestinian people."
Haniyeh added that a continued embargo could undermine the unity government.
"The international community must lift the embargo on the Palestinian people ... otherwise the issue will be reconsidered," he said.
Aid has continued to reach Palestinians through non-governmental organizations and by other means that have bypassed the government.
The new Palestinian government says it needs US$1.33 billion in international support "to get back on its feet." But the EU, which has been a major donor, says Hamas must recognize Israel first and commit to past agreements before aid is fully restored.
The Abbas-Mashaal meeting came amid an escalation in Palestinian-Israeli tensions following a barrage of rockets fired by Hamas earlier in the week threatening a five-month cease-fire.
Rockets
Egyptian officials were concerned the firing of the rockets could sabotage their mediation efforts. "Launching rockets is negative and leads nowhere," said Col. Burhan Hamad, head of an Egyptian security delegation.
Israeli press reports on Friday said Egypt has threatened to cut off relations with Hamas unless it halts its attacks on Israel. Jerusalem Post reported that the Egyptian Intelligence Chief General Omar Suleiman has sent a "tough" message to Hamas leaders, warning them against the rocket attacks.
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