Suleiman urged the Palestinian factions to form a unified leadership

Additional Reporting By Abdul Raheem Ali, IOL Staff

CAIRO, December 4 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – Representatives of thirteen Palestinian factions kicked off a new round of talks Thursday, December 4, holding a three-hour meeting with the Egyptian intelligence chief.

Highlighting the lacked of a unified political program and a unified leadership, Omar Suleiman tabled a three-point program for the talks, Palestinian sources who attended the meeting told IslamOnline.net.

First, mooting a plan of action for the next year – which will see the American presidential elections.

Second, forming a unified political leadership that would join hands in the decision-making process and abide by whatever is agreed upon.

Finally, authorizing the government of Palestinian Premier Ahmed Qorei to move on the political arena according to the would-be agreed upon action plan.

Suleiman told the Palestinian delegates that Washington was not according attention to peaceful initiatives in the region and that it had helped Israeli Premier Ariel Sharon out of his economic crisis by loans and aid.

He underlined that this was not a new round of strategic dialogue but rather an emergency dialogue.

"The aim of this dialogue is to find a way out of the Palestinian crisis and open the door for a political drive that would attract Europe, the U.S. and the world to our case," he quoted as saying.

The Egyptian intelligence chief Suleiman brokered in June a three-month unilateral Palestinian truce, which Israel killed stone dead by assassinating prominent Hamas civilian leader, Ismail Abu Shanab.

Egypt, the first Arab country to clinch a peace treaty with Israel, has long played a key intermediary role in the peace negotiations.

Sparing Civilians

"I think it is preferable to reach a formula to spare civilians from the horrors of war," Hindi said

Speaking from the occupied territories before the beginning of the talks, Mohamed al-Hindi, an Islamic Jihad leader, reiterated support to any agreement that might spare Palestinian and Israeli civilians, reported Agence France-Presse (AFP).

"I think it is preferable to reach a formula to spare civilians from the horrors of war," he stressed.

Echoing similar position, Hamas official Said Siam underlined : "We do not wish to target so-called civilians and we only do so when Israel commits massacres and crimes against our people."

Palestinian resistance factions have repeatedly stressed they were willing to halt attacks against Israeli civilian targets on condition that Israeli occupation forces would grind to cessation daily aggressions on Palestinian civilians as well as assassination of resistance activists.

For his part, Khaled Meshaal, head of Hamas political bureau, told the Arabic newspaper Al-Hayat ahead of the meeting that the Palestinians had no interest in making "free concessions" to Israel.

"The Palestinians already proclaimed a truce several months ago which failed because the enemy pursued its crimes and refused to release prisoners," he averred.

"Consequently, we have no interest in speaking again of a truce and offering free concessions" to Israel, said Meshaal, who was not due to take part in the talks in Cairo.

"We must stand by our right to resist the occupation, defend our people and unite Palestinian ranks," maintained the Hamas leader.

Interviewed by AFP in his Ramallah headquarters where he began a third year of confinement by the Israeli army, Palestinian President Yasser Arafat said the Palestinian side was ready to implement a truce.

"We are ready, but we hope that the other side will be ready also," Arafat said.

Qorei To Join

"This wall will destroy the peace process and will not leave a window for peace," Qorei said of Israel separation wall

Premier Qorei confirmed Thursday, December 4, he was heading to the Egyptian capital to join talks with twelve Palestinian factions.

He told a visiting delegation of a U.S. think tank on the Middle East he would soon join the Cairo talks.

"I will be leaving from here to Cairo after this meeting where the dialogue is taking place and I hope it will succeed."

Qorei, whose government was installed last month, said he was "optimistic about the Cairo talks, but I do not want to anticipate the issues."

He also reiterated that he wanted a meeting with Sharon, which has been repeatedly put back.

"We want a meeting that can allow us to come out to both people with a message of hope and this is why I want such a meeting to be well-prepared," Qorei said.

He also renewed criticism of Israel's construction of a separation wall in the West Bank.

"I believe this wall will destroy the peace process and will not leave a window for peace," stressed the Palestinian prime minister.

"This wall is not for security reasons as they say. This wall is meant to be impose a permanent border on the ground but this cannot work."