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Hamas Denies Egyptian Threats to Stop Sponsoring Unity Talks

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Islamic Hamas movement on Thursday denied reports about Egypt's threats of giving up supporting the Palestinian national dialogue and reconciliation unless the factions overcome recent differences.

Senior Hamas leader Ismael Radwan declared that these reports are incorrect "because Egypt is concerned about resuming the dialogue and it supports the issue of reconciliation clearly."

Egypt hosts the talks that aim at reconciling Hamas and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah movement. In previous rounds of talks, they agreed on forming a unity government but failed to agree on its political platform.

Al-Masreyoon Cairo-based newspaper reported that Egypt warned the Palestinian factions, in particular Fatah and Hamas, to solve their differences, especially about the sought Palestinian government, before the dialogue resumes. Otherwise, Egypt will stop sponsoring the Palestinian reconciliation.

The report said Egypt set a one-month limit for the factions to agree on these issues in order to pave the way for the parliamentary and presidential election by January 2010.

Meanwhile, Redwan assured that his movement would head to Cairo to launch the fourth session of the dialogue. "We are invited to the dialogue on the 26th of this month and we are ready to accomplish it successfully."

The factions also agreed on holding elections but they would still need more discussions to agree on the electoral law and the representation system.

(Xinhua News Agency April 24, 2009)

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