Hamas, the Palestinian political and military organization that governs the Gaza Strip, denied Thursday it had agreed to meet with rival Palestinian faction Fatah in Cairo by early October to discuss reconciliation. Moussa Abu Marzouq, deputy chairman of the Hamas political bureau, told a Palestinian newspaper Thursday that reports the groups have set a date for resuming negotiations are false. Fatah and Hamas signed a reconciliation pact under Egyptian mediation in May. Despite several meetings - the most recent on 13 September in Beirut - they disagreed about the pact's exact terms. Fatah has insisted on nominating current Prime Minister Salam Fayyad to lead the next government, which Hamas opposes. Abu Marzouq's statements came days after Fatah parliamentary bloc chief Azzam al-Ahmed said talks would resume in Cairo in early October. “Postponing the meeting between Hamas and Fatah came after the latter's request to await the results of [the Palestinian request for statehood] at the United Nations and its effect on reconciliation,” Abu Marzouq said, referring to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' application for UN recognition of a Palestinian state. Hamas supports unity among the Palestinians, respecting what has been previously agreed on and holding dialogues without the US or Israel's intervention, he noted. “the US veto has cast its shadow over Fatah's stance,” Abu Marzouq said referring to US opposition to the statehood bid. “Previous experiences prove that the US stance, which is the same as Israel's, doesn't favor Palestinians in the West Bank, Gaza, or even abroad,” he added. The Hamas leader stressed that reconciliation is irreversible and dialogue is the best way to end divisions. He also expressed his wish that reconciliation would take place as soon as possible. Translated from the Arabic Edition
