Visiting Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah movement on Wednesday urged the rival Hamas movement to adopt a positive position toward his latest dialogue initiative.
Abbas made the remarks at a press conference after meeting with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on Wednesday, terming as not encouraging Hamas' initial reactions to his latest dialogue initiative.
On Monday, Hamas rejected a call by Abbas to open a new era based on ending the control in Gaza and holding early elections, and demanded unconditional dialogue.
In June, Hamas routed pro-Abbas security forces and took over the Gaza Strip. Abbas fired a Hamas-led coalition and formed a cabinet in West Bank while Hamas kept ruling the coastal enclave under Israeli siege.
The talks between Mubarak and Abbas focused on the Fatah-Hamas reconciliation and internal dialogues, as well as the steering committee established to launch peace talks between the Israelis and Palestinians after the Annapolis meeting held late November 2007 in the United States.
Israel recently planned to expand settlements in the occupied West Bank, which overshadowed the first two rounds of peace talks between the Israelis and the Palestinians after it was formally relaunched at the Annapolis peace conference.
The two leaders also discussed the problem of Palestinian pilgrims stranded in Egypt. Abbas said Egypt was exerting strenuous efforts to get Palestinian pilgrims back home.
Egypt allowed the Hamas-sponsored Hajj pilgrims to enter its territories after performing the annual pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia. However, Egyptian authorities requested them to go home via Israeli-run crossings though they have departed via the Egyptian border with Gaza Strip at Rafah.
Source:Xinhua
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