"We
will exert our full efforts using all our resources to end the
militarization of the Intifada, and we will succeed," Abbas said
at a press conference following a summit meeting with U.S. President
George Bush and Israeli Premier Ariel Sharon Wednesday, June 4.
The
Palestinian factions will also reaffirm their determination to avoid
any inter-Palestinian fighting, considering this a “red line” that
can never be crossed, added the sources.
They
told IOL that Hamas and the Popular Front for the Liberation of
Palestine (PFLP) were invited to the meeting and that Fatah, the
Islamic Jihad and the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine
(DFLP) will join up.
The
Palestinian sources, who asked not to be named, added the meeting will
be convened in yet undisclosed venue in Gaza city and will be attended
by senior officials from the five resistance factions.
Hamas
will be represented by Ismail Abu-Shanab, Fatah by Abdul-Aziz Shahein
(Abu Ali) and the PFLP by Gamil Al-Magdalawi, they sources told IOL
correspondent.
Red
Line
 |
|
"It
is necessary to meet Hamas. I am optimistic that we will reopen
dialogue with Hamas," Amr said
|
The
meeting would stress the necessity of resorting to dialogue in
overcoming differences spurred by Aqaba summit or Abbas’ statements
and to avoid fomenting inter-Palestinian tension, the sources
expected.
Participants
would also work for forging a unified stance to be tabled during any
meeting with the Palestinian government, they added.
The
sources told IOL Abbas might be invited to meet all Palestinian
factions to clarify his statements.
Palestinian
Culture Minister Zyad Abu Amr told Agence France-Presse (AFP) Saturday
that Abbas would meet Palestinian factions this week.
"Talks
will be resumed this week and we will remove the reason that stopped
the dialogue," he said following a cabinet meeting in the West
Bank city of Ramallah.
"I
think that after Abu Mazen has met the parliament and given the press
conference on Monday, the position will be clear and we can resume
dialogue where it stopped," said Abu Amr, who is in charge of
contacts with Palestinian factions.
Information
Minister Nabil Amr also said after the cabinet meeting that Abbas
wanted to hold talks with all the Palestinian factions, including
Hamas.
"Palestinian
national dialogue is a strategic decision and we will continue
dialogue with all the Palestinian factions," Amr told reporters.
"Stopping
this dialogue will lead to a bad situation and will not help to solve
our problems," he said.
Amr
said he was optimistic talks would take place with Hamas at some
point.
"It
is necessary to meet Hamas. I am optimistic that we will reopen
dialogue with Hamas," he said.
The
minister defended Abbas' statements saying it was only meant to be an
expression of the Palestinian commitment to the Middle East roadmap.
"I
want to confirm that Abu Mazen's speech in Aqaba only spoke about the
Palestinian commitment to begin implementing the roadmap," he
said, adding "it was not a final agreement or solution."
It
did not mean the Palestinian Authority had changed its positions on
key issues.
"We
stress the Palestinian position on the refugees and about Al-Quds as
the capital of a Palestinian state," Amr said.
The
Jihad movement called Friday, June 6, for talks
between Abbas and all Palestinian factions.
"We
call for an all-inclusive meeting with Abbas, which will bring
together all Palestinian factions and not for one-by-one
meetings," Mohammad al-Hindi, a senior leader with the Islamic
Jihad, told IOL.
But
Hamas ruled out any new talks with Abbas unless he renounced his
statements.
It
first announced breaking
off talks with Abbas on Friday, saying it was disgusted
by his statements.
Hamas
also recoiled at Abbas' omission of the plight of Palestinian
refugees, which is a cornerstone of Palestinians.
The
Islamic Jihad and Hamas refused the
agreement reached during the Arab-U.S. summit in the Egyptian
Red Sea resort of Sharm El-Sheikh to stymie “assistance” to what
Bush dubbed as “terror groups.”
