A leader from the Palestinian group Hamas arrived in Cairo Sunday to sign an Egypt-brokered reconciliation deal with Fatah. Egypt invited the leaders of Palestinian factions, including Khaled Meshaal, to a celebration for the event scheduled later this week in Cairo. This is the first visit by the Syria-based Hamas leader to Cairo since the 25 January revolution. Last week, senior leaders from Hamas and Fatah signed a preliminary agreement to set up a coalition government to run the West Bank and the Gaza Strip and to prepare for general elections within a year. Israel objected to the deal, saying that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas must choose between peace with Israel and reconciliation with Hamas. It is not yet clear whether Meshaal will meet with the head of Egypt's ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi. Sources said Meshaal held discussions over the past few days with Syria's vice president, Farouk al-Shara, and its foreign minister, Walid al-Muallem. They discussed the position of Hamas and the residence of its leader in Syria, as well as Syrian officials' stance on the reconciliation agreement to be signed Wednesday. Meshaal, according to the sources, assured Syria's leadership that Hamas “won't turn its back to Syria in times of hardship.” Translated from the Arabic Edition
