SOURCE: Gulf News
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was in Syria yesterday for crucial talks with Hamas's top leader Khalid Mesha'al on forming a national unity government and ending months of Palestinian infighting that has claimed at least 62 lives.
There were hopes that the meeting - the first between Abbas and Hamas's exiled political chief since July 2005 - could end the year-long political deadlock between the militant Hamas and the more moderate Fatah.
But disputes still remain on the toughest issues - control of the two factions' powerful security forces and Hamas's refusal to recognise Israel's right to exist.
Mousa Abu Marzouk, deputy head of Hamas's politburo, said the Abbas-Mesha'al meeting would take place later yesterday.
Abbas has billed the talks as a last-ditch effort to end the crisis among the Palestinians, threatening to call early elections if the two sides did not agree on forming a national unity government.
Abbas has been pushing Hamas for months to form a coalition government of independent experts, in hopes of ending the sanctions which have pushed Palestinians deeper into poverty.
With the two sides unable to agree, tensions have repeatedly exploded into open warfare in the Gaza Strip, a traditional Hamas stronghold.
Abbas came to Damascus bolstered by Israel's release to him on Friday of $100 million (Dh368 million) which Israel had collected as taxes on behalf of the Palestinian government. Following Hamas's election victory, Israel froze the funds.
Abbas was greeted at the Damascus airport by Foreign Minister Walid Mua'alem and then went to the presidential palace for talks with Syrian President Bashar Al Assad.
Palestinian legislator, Nabeel Amr, who attended the meeting with Bashar, later told reporters that the Syrian leader expressed readiness to support all "efforts aimed at achieving Palestinian unity".
Abu Marzouk, who was involved in recent marathon preparations for the talks with Abbas envoys visiting Hamas in Syria, was cautiously optimistic about the Abbas-Mesha'al meeting.
"We hope that [Abbas's] visit will succeed in solving all the problems, but we don't know what the final position of Abu Mazen will be," Abu Marzouk said, referring to Abbas by his nickname.
Abbas and Mesha'al's frosty relationship worsened in April after Mesha'al publicly accused Abbas of being a traitor for opposing the formation of a heavily armed Hamas militia.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was in Syria yesterday for crucial talks with Hamas's top leader Khalid Mesha'al on forming a national unity government and ending months of Palestinian infighting that has claimed at least 62 lives.
There were hopes that the meeting - the first between Abbas and Hamas's exiled political chief since July 2005 - could end the year-long political deadlock between the militant Hamas and the more moderate Fatah.
But disputes still remain on the toughest issues - control of the two factions' powerful security forces and Hamas's refusal to recognise Israel's right to exist.
Mousa Abu Marzouk, deputy head of Hamas's politburo, said the Abbas-Mesha'al meeting would take place later yesterday.
Abbas has billed the talks as a last-ditch effort to end the crisis among the Palestinians, threatening to call early elections if the two sides did not agree on forming a national unity government.
Abbas has been pushing Hamas for months to form a coalition government of independent experts, in hopes of ending the sanctions which have pushed Palestinians deeper into poverty.
With the two sides unable to agree, tensions have repeatedly exploded into open warfare in the Gaza Strip, a traditional Hamas stronghold.
Abbas came to Damascus bolstered by Israel's release to him on Friday of $100 million (Dh368 million) which Israel had collected as taxes on behalf of the Palestinian government. Following Hamas's election victory, Israel froze the funds.
Abbas was greeted at the Damascus airport by Foreign Minister Walid Mua'alem and then went to the presidential palace for talks with Syrian President Bashar Al Assad.
Palestinian legislator, Nabeel Amr, who attended the meeting with Bashar, later told reporters that the Syrian leader expressed readiness to support all "efforts aimed at achieving Palestinian unity".
Abu Marzouk, who was involved in recent marathon preparations for the talks with Abbas envoys visiting Hamas in Syria, was cautiously optimistic about the Abbas-Mesha'al meeting.
"We hope that [Abbas's] visit will succeed in solving all the problems, but we don't know what the final position of Abu Mazen will be," Abu Marzouk said, referring to Abbas by his nickname.
Abbas and Mesha'al's frosty relationship worsened in April after Mesha'al publicly accused Abbas of being a traitor for opposing the formation of a heavily armed Hamas militia.