Egypt decided on Saturday to put off a long-awaited Palestinians national unity dialogue that is planned to open in Cairo on Nov. 10 after the Islamic Hamas movement announced to boycott the talks.
"The scheduled talks would be postponed," said an Egyptian source on condition of anonymity, adding an alternative date to start the dialogue has yet be determined.
According to the Egyptian MENA news agency, Egypt has decided to postpone the Palestinian dialogue after Hamas informed Egyptian mediators that it will not show up in the meeting.
The dialogue is put off to an undetermined date until "appropriate climate appears and prospects for the dialogue's success are guaranteed," MENA quoted a high-level source as saying.
Meanwhile, pan-Arab news channel al-Jazeera also reported that Hamas is boycotting the dialogue and tells Egypt it will not take part in the upcoming talks.
Earlier in the day, a Hamas spokesman said his movement will determine whether to participate in the Egyptian-hosted Palestinian national dialogue later on Saturday.
Spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said the decision of the participation will be subject to halting crackdown on Hamas supporters in the West Bank by forces loyal to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
"Abbas will be responsible for any failure of the dialogue because it is clear he is leading a massacre against Hamas in the West Bank," Barhoum added.
Since Hamas routed pro-Abbas forces and seized control of the Palestinian enclave of the Gaza Strip in June last year, the two rivals cracked down against each other's members and supporters in the territories they control.
Hamas claims that up to 300 supporters were detained in the West Bank, saying the crackdown against its supporters was "a crime and an obstacle on the way of the dialogue."
But Palestinian forces in the West Bank said they are not arresting people by "political reason" but detaining those who violate the law.
Earlier reports said Hamas had also been considering boycotting the dialogue due to Egypt's rejection to consider the movement's reservations on an Egypt-proposed draft plan for the upcoming Palestinian reconciliation talks.
Following a nearly two-month talks with some 12 Palestinian movements, including rival Fatah and Hamas, Egypt presented a draft plan in late October designed to end the inter-Palestinian rift.
Hamas voiced its welcome to the Egyptian paper, but also urged Egypt to consider the movement's reservations "in order to give a push for the dialogue to succeed."
The Egyptian plan calls for establishing a new Palestinian national unity government, rehabilitating the security forces of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA), reforming the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO), and preparing for presidential and legislative elections in the Palestinian territories.
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.
On Saturday, Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa expressed his regret on the deepening divisions among the Palestinians, warning the danger of inter-Palestinian rift on the Palestinian cause.
Moussa, who is in the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh to attend an international Quartet meeting on the Palestinian-Israeli peace, said all Palestinian movements must realize that their divisions may spoil the chances to reach a just peace and establish a Palestinian state.
A senior Egyptian source told MENA that "Palestinians have missed a chance secured by Egypt to help them realize national reconciliation and close ranks" by delaying the dialogue.
Egypt will have further talks with Palestinian factions to "set appropriate time" to launch the inter-Palestinian dialogue, added the source.
Source: Xinhua
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