Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haneya will visit Egypt on Tuesday for talks on the Palestinian national unity government and a prisoners' swap, Egypt's official news agency MENA reported Monday.

The report, quoting well-informed Palestinian sources, said that the Tuesday's visit would be Haneya's first one to Egypt since he assumed power.

Egypt is only part of Haneya's foreign tour. Haneya, also a senior Hamas leader, has not left the Gaza Strip since he took office on March 29.

Haneya's government has been facing political and economic sanctions since it was formed in March because Hamas rejects three international conditions of recognizing Israel, renouncing violence and honoring previous agreements signed with Israel.

The conditions were set by the Quarter Committee -- comprising Russia, the United States, the European Union and the United Nations -- which has been a major mediator in the Palestinian- Israeli conflict.

Earlier on Sunday night, exiled Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal wrapped up a three-day visit to Egypt, during which he held talks with Egyptian Intelligence Chief Omar Soliman and Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa.

Several Hamas leaders have paid intensive visits to Egypt recently for talks with Egyptian officials in an attempt to reach a solution to the issue of the abducted Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, who has been held hostage by Palestinian militant groups since he was captured on June 25.

Egyptians have been playing a mediating role between Hamas and the rival Fatah movement, as the two factions have been bickering for months over the formation of a unity government in place of the Hamas-led one to end the current economic and political crises in the Palestinian territories.

Egyptian officials have also been actively coordinating a prisoners' swap deal, which involved Shalit and about 1,700 Palestinian prisoners out of some 10,000 detainees held in Israeli jails.

Egypt, the first Arab country to sign a peace treaty with Israel, maintains good relations with both Israel and the Palestinians, and has long been playing a mediating role between the Palestinians and Israel.

Source: Xinhua