Palestinian official urges for factions' "genuine" cooperation

Visiting Palestinian Deputy Prime Minister Azzam al-Ahmed called Monday on all Palestinian factions including the rival movements of Fatah and Hamas to boost "genuine" political cooperation.

Al-Ahmed, who leads a Fatah delegation and arrived here Saturday evening, made the call after his talks with Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit on means of stopping inter- Palestinian fighting, reported Egypt's official MENA news agency.

The Middle East peace process deadlock is not caused by Palestinian infighting and it is Israel that was fishing in troubled waters to freeze the Mideast peace process, al-Ahmed was quoted as saying.

He said that "Israel is responsible for destroying the Palestinian security agencies in order to render the Palestinian authorities toothless and unable to undertake its role for maintaining law and order in the territories."

The Palestinian official, meanwhile, praised Egypt's reception of Palestinian factions for separate talks, saying it is part of a strategy for ending inter-Palestinian fighting.

He said his visit to Egypt aimed at having consultations with Egyptian officials on means of cementing a ceasefire agreement reached by the Palestinian factions.

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

Egyptian officials began to host a bilateral meeting with a al- Ahmed's Fatah delegation on Sunday, which would be followed by bilateral meetings between Egyptians and other five Palestinian factions, including Fatah's rival party Hamas.

Source: Xinhua