Mohammed Mar'i Saudi Gazette RAMALLAH – A large delegation of Palestinians arrived at Cairo for meetings with Egyptian leadership and Arab League Secretary General Nabil Al-Arabi to discuss the implementation of Palestinian national reconciliation, a Palestinian official said Saturday. Yasser Al-Wadiyeh, a committee member and leader of the Palestinian independent figures, said that the delegation will discuss with the Egyptian leadership, the country's Foreign Minister Mohamed Kamel Amr and Al-Arabi “ways to pressure Palestinian factions to implement the national reconciliation agreement.” Al-Wadiyeh said that the Palestinians “are waiting for steps to implement the Doha agreement following the meeting between Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas Politburo Chief Khaled Mish'al in Cairo last week.” The Doha agreement, signed between Abbas and Mish'al in 2012, envisages the formation of a Palestinian “national unity government” headed by Abbas and holding new presidential and parliamentary elections in the Palestinian territories. On Thursday, Egypt announced that Fatah and Hamas have agreed to start implementing previous reconciliation agreements signed between the two rival parties. Abbas and Mish'al “displayed a positive and responsible spirit” during the discussions, which were attended by senior Egyptian intelligence officials, the Egyptians said in a statement. Nabil Abu Rudeineh, a spokesman for Abbas, said that the two sides agreed on the formation of several joint committees to discuss the implementation of the reconciliation agreement. He said that one of the committees would discuss preparations for holding presidential and parliamentary elections in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, while other committees would be entrusted with dealing with the formation of a Palestinian unity government and the reconstruction of the Palestine Liberation Organization. On Sunday, the jailed Fatah leader Marwan Al-Barghouti called for a “Palestinian Spring” to force Fatah and Hamas to end their dispute and achieve unity. He also expressed opposition to disbanding the PA and called for a comprehensive review of its performance and duties. Al-Barghouti called on Palestinians to launch widespread protests in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip to force Hamas and Fatah to end their dispute.
