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Fatah, Hamas at odds over 'deal'
23/03/2008 19:11 - (SA)
West Bank - Rival Palestinian factions were at odds on Sunday over the meaning of a deal they signed in Yemen, with Fatah rejecting Hamas claims it was solely a "framework" for talks.
"The two movements Hamas and Fatah have agreed to accept the Yemeni initiative as a framework for dialogue between the two movements and a return of the Palestinian situation to what it was before the events in Gaza," said the text of the declaration read to journalists in Yemen.
But while Hamas focused on the first part of the statement, Fatah highlighted the second as a precondition for any talks.
"The relaunch of a dialogue in the future depends on the implementation of the Yemeni initiative on every point, and not on treating it as a framework for dialogue because that will not lead to any result," Nabil Abu Rudeina, a spokesperson for Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas, told reporters in Ramallah.
In Gaza, Hamas spokesperson Sami Abu Zuhri said the Yemen deal was a "framework for dialogue" between the two factions who have not held direct contacts since the Islamists routed Abbas forces from Gaza in June.
"That means it is a framework for dialogue and not a set of preconditions for implementation. The dialogue will focus on the Palestinian situation, and not only in Gaza," he told AFP.
The two largest Palestinian factions have been bitterly divided for more than nine months, with Abbas having repeatedly demanded that Hamas return Gaza to his control as a precondition to any negotiations.
Hamas has always called for dialogue, but without any preconditions.
A senior Israeli official told AFP that he was "extremely sceptical" about the agreement.
"In my opinion, the discussions will last a long time and will fail because each side will stick to their original positions, which are contradictory," he said on condition of anonymity.
- AFP
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