Envoys of the Palestinian president have been holding secret meetings with the top leader of the Hamas group in Syria.

Officials from both Fatah and Hamas said that significant progress had been made in secret talks over the past two weeks.

The talks aimed at ending Palestinian clashes and preparing new coalition talks.

Moussa Abu Marzouk, the deputy head of Hamas political bureau in Syria, said on Saturday that Mahmoud Abbas will come to Damascus early next week to meet Khaled Meshaal, the exiled Hamas chief and Syrian officials.

"I hope his [Abbas'] meetings in Damascus will be constructive and lead to solving all outstanding problems that have broken the dialogue in the past," said Abu Marzouk.

Abbas aide confirmed that the Palestinian president planned to meet with Meshaal on Monday.

The secret talks were held between Meshaal and two Abbas envoys, Ziad Abu Amr, an independent legislator, and Mohammed Rashid, a former adviser to Yasser Arafat, the former Palestinian president.

Hamas and Fatah have repeatedly failed in recent months to form a coalition because of disagreements over a political programme and control over key cabinet posts.

Hamas has also balked at international demands that any Palestinian government recognises Israel, renounces violence and accepts existing peace deals.

PHOTO CAPTION

A member of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' guard protects the convoy of U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, background as it arrives at Abbas' headquarters in the West Bank city of Ramallah, Sunday, Jan. 14, 2007. (AP)