Egyptian officials began to host a bilateral meeting with a Palestinian Fatah delegation on Sunday, which would be followed by bilateral meetings between Egyptians and other five Palestinian factions, including Fatah's rival party Hamas, the official news agency MENA reported.

These meetings were aimed to "work out a mechanism to consolidate the state of calm between Fatah and Hamas and to examine realizing full calm with Israel," said the report.

The Fatah delegation included Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' personal envoy Rouhi Fattouh, prominent Fatah leader and Deputy Premier Azzam al Ahmad, prominent Fatah leader Mohamed Dahlan and Fatah Secretary General in Gaza Ahmed Helles.

Following Fatah, Egyptian officials will hold separate talks with the other five factions to figure out "how to remove the causes of internal strife and achieve a full state of calm with Israel," said MENA.

The other three Palestinian factions included Jihad, the Popular Fronts for the Liberation of Palestine, and the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, according to the report.

Egypt, a leading Arab nation, maintains close relations with various Palestinian factions and has long played a mediating role among these factions.

Source: Xinhua