An inter-Palestinian reconciliation dialogue between Fatah and Hamas movements will begin in Cairo next Wednesday, a senior Palestinian official said Saturday, according to dpa. Azzam al-Ahmed, head of the Fatah bloc in the Palestinian parliament, told reporters his movement had received an official invitation from Egypt to join the dialogue. The Gaza-based Ramattan news agency also quoted an Egyptian Foreign Ministry official as saying Cairo had issued invitations to the Palestinian factions. "We hope that this time, we will be able to reach an agreement to end the status of split between Gaza Strip and the West Bank, form a national unity government and prepare for presidential and legislative elections," said al-Ahmed. Hamas has persistently demanded that Abbas stop cracking down on the movement in the West Bank. Abbas has rejected the demand and said all differences can be resolved through the dialogue.
