Egypt has no intention to amend the Palestinian national reconciliation document it proposed to end the inter-Palestinian rifts, Egypt's official Middle East News Agency (MENA) quoted Egypt's Foreign Minister as saying on Saturday. "Amendments to the reconciliation paper are totally unacceptable regardless of what they are," Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit said in statements after Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's meeting with US Mideast peace envoy George Mitchell. Abul Gheit called on Hamas to sign the document, which was already signed by Fatah, and then "they (Hamas) could debate directly any reservations they have with the Palestinian Authority. " Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat denied on Saturday reports that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas had accepted a reconciliation plan proposed by Islamic Hamas movement to end the Palestinian division. "I can't say that Hamas has proposed an initiative for reconciliation to accept it," Erekat told local media. A Hamas leader said on Friday that Abbas and Egypt have accepted a reconciliation proposal given to the Arab League Chief Amr Mussa during his visit to Gaza last week. US Mideast peace envoy George Mitchell, meanwhile, met with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on Saturday to discuss developments in the US-brokered indirect Palestinian-Israeli peace talks. The meeting also tackled efforts to lift the Israeli siege imposed on Gaza since Hamas took control of the salient in June 2007. Israel decided to ease the blockade after an international uproar following the May 31 Israeli navy attack on an unauthorised flotilla of aid to the Gaza Strip, which left nine activists dead. However, Palestinians said the Israeli move is "not sufficient." Mitchell arrived in the Middle East region on Wednesday in a new attempt to advance the talks, meeting with both the Israeli and Palestinian sides.
