CAIRO: Although Egypt is considered the leading mediator between Hamas and Fatah, reports indicate that Yemen, Jordan and Qatar have also joined the mediation efforts. The latest weekend reports by the Qatari-based daily Al-Bayan, suggest that Qatar has begun talks with Hamas and is about to open talks with Fatah soon. Quoting Palestinian sources, Al-Bayan wrote: Qatar, a country with strategic and regional weight, has recently made efforts to take the role of mediator between Fatah and Hamas in order to end the internal Palestinian rift and reunite the nation s two halves. Earlier this year, Qatar mediated between Lebanon s coalition and opposition parties, ending over a year of internal dispute. Following the Doha agreement, Hamas officials called on Qatar to assemble a second Doha meeting, to reconcile between it and Fatah. Meanwhile, reports indicate that Jordan is about to invite Hamas leader in Damascus, Khalid Mash al. Officials from the movement have met with Jordanian officials in the last few weeks, and their talks were beneficial and important, said Hamas leader in Gaza Mohamed Nazzal, according to Hamas website. Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayad met with Yemeni President Abdallah Saleh on Aug. 9. The two discussed the promotion of Palestinian unity. During their meeting, Fayad said the first step would be the creation of an interim government, which would not include members of either Fatah or Hamas. The interim government, Fayad suggested, would run the Palestinian Authority until presidential and parliamentary elections were conducted. Fayad further recommended that Arab countries supervise the re-establishment of the Palestinian Authority s security capabilities on a non-partisan, professional basis. The Palestinian premier also called on Arab countries to assist in maintaining law and order in the Gaza Strip during the transitional period. Despite these moves, Egypt is still heading the reconciliation efforts. Egypt is expected to soon launch another round of talks between the Palestinian factions, Palestinian sources said this weekend. -The Media Line
