Khaled Meshaal and Mahmoud Abbas, the leaders of Hamas and Fatah, met in Cairo on Thursday for a resumption of talks on the formation of a Palestinian unity government that have been stalled since May. Azzam Al-Ahmed, a PLO official, said a unity government was set to be formed as a consensus was reached on the unity agreement's main articles. The issues discussed were the adoption of a unified Palestinian strategy, the formation of an interim government, reform of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation, and a date for upcoming elections. Some of the issues that have divided the two parties are an inability to agree on a cabinet made up of independent technocrats to reunite the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, and Abbas' decision to keep Salam Fayyad as prime minister. Additionally, the US and the EU have stated they will not deal with a unity government that includes Hamas unless it renounces violence, recognises Israel, and agrees to abide by all previous agreements made between the Israelis and the Palestinians. Hamas spokesperson, Fawzi Barhoum stated there will be another meeting between the PLO and Hamas next month to discuss setting up a committee to oversee elections set for May. http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/27506.aspx
