ARISH, Egypt - Hamas and Islamic Jihad negotiators met with Egyptian officials Saturday for more talks aimed at hammering out a truce with Israel and reopening the Rafah border crossing from the Gaza Strip, an Egyptian official said. In Sana'a, meanwhile, authorities said they were awaiting a response from Hamas on a Yemeni initiative that would bring about a reconciliation between the main Palestinian factions. The 40-minute meeting was held on the Egyptian side of Rafah, a town divided by the border with Gaza, said the security official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. The official gave no details on what progress might have been made towards a ceasefire with Israel, but said the border talks focused on reopening the Rafah crossing initially for three days a week. That would be a first step towards daily opening. Rafah has been closed almost continuously since the seizure of Gaza by Hamas, which Israel, the United States and European Union consider a terror group. Israel has also tightened restrictions on Gaza, preventing all but vital humanitarian aid from entering from its own territory in an attempt to pressure the Hamas-run government to halt rocket attacks. Hamas was represented by senior official Jamal Abu Hashem, the official said. Islamic Jihad sent Khaled al-Batsh. They met with two top aides of Egypt's powerful intelligence chief, General Omar Suleiman. __
