Palestinian Vote Dispute Unresolved

27/05/2005| IslamWeb

An Egyptian security delegation has ended its mission in the Gaza Strip without resolving a dispute over Palestinian elections.

The talks ended as scheduled on Friday, with the main governing Fatah party and Islamic group Hamas agreeing that dialogue is the only way to defuse growing tensions between their two factions ahead of Palestinian parliamentary elections.

The aim of the talks, mediated by Egypt's deputy intelligence chief Mustafa Al-Bouheiri, was to draw a line under a growing dispute over moves to delay parliamentary polls scheduled for 17 July.

Aljazeera reported the two factions confirmed their commitment to national unity and to end internal disputes.

Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri told Aljazeera that Hamas and Fatah would uphold national unity and solve their dispute peacefully.

He said, "Palestinians cand be assured that the state of tension has ended."

"We have agreed to continue intensive talks and we may hold a meeting on Saturday evening," Abu Zuhri said.  

Dialogue

Another Hamas official, Ismael Hanyeh, affirmed a commitment to dialogue.

"We have decided to solve our differences with our brothers from Fatah through dialogue, only through dialogue, and to try, therefore, to reduce the crisis and the tensions between our two movements," Hanyeh said.

"We are agreed to go to the courts for decisions on disputes over the results of recent municipal elections," he added.

A Fatah official said he regretted recent clashes after municipal elections.

"I confirm that we have decided to resolve all the conflicts between us through discussion, and I regret the clashes that followed after contested election results," said Fatah central committee member Abdallah Efranji.

Some officials think Hamas has partly engineered a recent spike in violence in the Gaza Strip as part of a dispute with Fatah over the elections.

On Wednesday, an aide said Palestinian President and Fatah stalwart Mahmoud Abbas would meet Hamas leaders in Cairo in early June to try to secure agreement on delaying the polls by more than four months.

Growing numbers within Fatah are thought to be in favour of a delay, alarmed by Hamas's impressive showing in recent municipal elections.

The Egyptian delegation was in Gaza City since Tuesday on a mission to persuade factions to abide by a truce agreement

PHOTO CAPTION

Hamas senior members Mahmud al-Zahar (L) and Sami Abu Zuhri arrive for a meeting with Egyptian mediators and members of the mainstream Fatah movement in Gaza City. (AFP)