The Hamas-dominated Palestinian Parliament Speaker Aziz al-Dweik said on Saturday that the meetings held between Hamas leaders and a senior Egyptian security delegation in Ramallah over the weekend were positive.

Al-Dweik told reporters that the Egyptian efforts "are heading towards removing obstacles that blocks reaching an inter-Palestinian reconciliation agreement in Cairo by the end of July."

The senior Egyptian delegation headed by Gen. Mohamed Ibrahim, an aide to Egypt's intelligence chief, is currently in the West Bank for talks with Palestinian leaders to pave the way for an agreement by the end of July.

"The meeting held between the Egyptians and Hamas leaders was positive to a great extent and it has an atmosphere of optimism and frankness," said al-Dweik, who headed the Hamas delegation in the talks with the Egyptians.

He appreciated Egypt's efforts in healing the Palestinian rift, reiterating that the Egyptian efforts "have to follow equality and stay with the same distances from the two Palestinian rivals, Fatah and Hamas movements."

Asked if the ongoing meetings with the Egyptians had achieved any positive progress towards signing an agreement by the end of July, al-Dweik said "it seems that there is a clear move, but it all depends on Fatah to close the file of arrests."

Earlier on Saturday, Palestinian sources revealed that the Egyptians presented a proposal to the rival groups aimed at bridging the gaps between them.

Al-Dweik said the new proposal "is no more than new ideas agreed upon between the Egyptians and the factions' leaders in Damascus, and was presented to us to end the current rift."

Meanwhile, top Gaza Hamas leader Mahmoud al-Zahar told reporters in Gaza that the Egyptian views are close to Hamas', mainly an immediate stop of mutual political arrests and emptying of Palestinian jails.

However, he ruled out the possibility that the Egyptian delegation "would succeed in its mission to bridge the gaps between Fatah and Hamas, although we have fewer differences than before."

The Egyptian delegation ended a three-day visit to the West Bank after holding meetings with President Mahmoud Abbas, leaders of Hamas and other left-wing parties.

(Xinhua News Agency July 12, 2009)