CAIRO: Egypt received a boost in its mediation efforts between rival Palestinian parties Fatah and Hamas on Saturday when Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said that he believed Egypt is the only capable mediator in the dispute. The internal conflict between Palestinian groups has been nearly ongoing since June 2007 when Hamas took control of the Gaza Strip in bloody street battles that ousted Abbas' security forces from Gaza. Palestinian news agency Ma'an reported that Abbas said that Egypt's role in the negotiations is central. The Palestinian leader had been in Cairo for a meeting with his Egyptian counterpart Hosni Mubarak. Abbas was reported as saying that the final signing ceremony for an Egyptian-sponsored reconciliation document will be in Egypt, and that Cairo would also follow up on its implementation to ensure it is successful. “This is the Palestinian Authority and Fatah's stance,” Ma'an quoted Abbas as saying. Abbas also added that he and other Palestinian leaders already discussed one proposal put forward by American Middle East envoy George Mitchell, in which Washington had offered to move between Israeli and Palestinian negotiators in “proximity talks” to restart the Mideast peace process. “A meeting was held between Palestinian, Jordanian and Egyptian officials to discuss the issue, and we await the U.S. response to a number of questions,” Abbas reportedly said. “When we receive the answers, we will discuss them with Arab countries, and announce our stance.” BM
