CAIRO: Egypt said Thursday that it will invite rival Palestinian factions Fatah and Hamas to Cairo in late October for a final round of talks that it believes will result in a signed reconciliation agreement. The Gaza Strip s Hamas rulers and Fatah, which leads a separate, Western-backed government in the West Bank, have been bitterly divided since a civil war more than two years ago. Bringing the sides together and restoring some Fatah control in Gaza could open up the blockaded and impoverished seaside territory to more aid from international donors that had shunned dealings with the insurgents of Hamas. Egypt has been trying for months to broker such a deal, and Hamas exiled leader, Khaled Mashaal, said this week that his group has agreed to an Egyptian proposal to reconcile with Fatah. Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit and intelligence chief Omar Suleiman will fly to Jordan on Monday for talks with Fatah leader and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to seek his final endorsement of the proposal, said Foreign Ministry spokesman Hossam Zaki. Egypt will invite Fatah and Hamas to meet in Cairo on Oct. 19 and expects the two sides to sign a reconciliation agreement three days later, said Zaki. Egypt originally proposed the two sides form a unity government. But Hamas refused to be part of any Palestinian government that would involve recognition of Israel. Now, Egypt is proposing to bring the rivals together in an advisory committee headed by Abbas that would have a say in running day-to-day affairs in Gaza and the West Bank until presidential and parliamentary elections can be held sometime in the first half of 2010. Abbas government would also be allowed to deploy 3,000 security personnel to Gaza and both sides would release each other s detainees. Hamas official Ahmed Yousef confirmed that his group will attend the meeting in Cairo in October and said he expected the two sides to sign an agreement. Fatah officials have not publicly commented on the proposed meeting.
