Hamas discusses borders, political prisoners with the Supreme Council of Armed Forces The Wafd Party met Wednesday afternoon with a Hamas delegation that provided security assurances and expressed solidarity with the Egyptian revolution during a visit to Cairo. Wafd Party President al-Sayed al-Badawy, a number of party members and youth coalition representatives met with Hamas politburo members Mahmoud al-Zahar, Khalil al-Haya, and Nizar Awadallah. The Hamas delegation said it was visiting Cairo to relay greetings from Gaza and express solidarity with the Egyptian revolution. Al-Zahar said that Hamas asked him to relay a message that neither the movement nor Palestinians in general have ever or will ever represent a threat to Egypt's national security. “The previous regime worked on distorting Hamas' image and scaring Egyptians… and presenting [Hamas] as a threat, to the point that the regime blamed the movement for the Saints Church incident in Alexandria,” said al-Zahar, adding that Hamas is willing to cooperate with the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) and Egypt's next president. Al-Zahar said that during his meeting with various Egyptian officials, including Minister of Foreign Affairs Nabil al-Arabi and members of the military council, they discussed border crossings and the food and medical needs of Palestinians. The issue of Palestinian political prisoners in Egyptian prisons was also discussed and Al-Zahar said that Hamas is in the process of compiling a list of prisoner names and looking into each case before presenting them to the SCAF for consideration. In a statement to Al-Masry Al-Youm, Khalil al-Haya said that Hamas wants to take firm steps toward reconciliation within Gaza. He added that an attempt to resolve controversial issues including the concept of Palestinian resistance, the management of the Palestinian Authority and leadership is underway. There are also negotiations to establish a frame of reference and political program that will be used to govern Palestinians until elections are held in a year. Al-Sayed al-Badawy said the Wafd Party and the Egyptian people support the crucial Palestinian issue. Al-Badawy added the Wafd position on the peace treaty with Israel will not change, but that it the treaty could be jeopardized if Israel does not abide by its international promises, most importantly the establishment of a Palestinian state according to 1967 borders. Egyptians have become sovereign, al-Badawy said, and will not permit any offense against the Palestinian people.
