Hamas Thursday denied reports that the Islamic movement was going to boycott Egyptian efforts to reconcile between Hamas and its rival Fatah movement led by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
"We are now closer to go and participate in the dialogue," Hamas spokesman Ismail Radwan told reporters in Gaza.
His remarks came after some media reports said that Hamas was going to boycott a Cairo-mediated inter-Palestinian dialogue next week due to differences between Egypt and Fatah.
Denying the reports, Radwan reiterated that Hamas will join the dialogue and urged Egypt to amend the draft according to Hamas' reservations.
Egypt has refused to change the draft in order to satisfy the rest of the Palestinian factions. The Egyptian-drafted agenda envisions the formation of a transitional unity government, reforming the security services and holding early elections to reinforce Fatah-Hamas reconciliation.
The earlier reports, which were published on the London-based al-Quds al-Arabi newspaper, said that Egypt's rejection to consider Hamas' reservations on dialogue agenda and the arrests of Hamas supporters in the West Bank by pro-Abbas forces made Hamas to consider boycotting the dialogue.
Hamas reservations involved the holding of early elections and extending Abbas' presidential term which ends in January 2009.
Hamas also wants security services reform to be applicable to pro-Abbas forces in the West Bank and urges pro-Abbas forces to stop cracking down against its members in the West Bank.
The two sides have been cracking down against their dissidents since Hamas seized control of the Gaza Strip in June 2007.
Source: Xinhua
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