Informing humanitarians worldwide 24/7 — a service provided by UN OCHA

oPt

OPT: Arrests, recriminations threaten Hamas, Fatah talks

By Nidal al-Mughrabi

CAIRO, June 29 (Reuters) - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah group accused rival Hamas of arresting dozens of Fatah activists in the Gaza Strip on Monday.

A Hamas spokesman said there had been no arrests and accused Fatah of distortion aimed at undermining Egyptian-mediated efforts to reconcile the two Palestinian groups.

Arrests and counter arrests by forces loyal to the two groups have hampered efforts to restore political unity and boost prospects for a resumption of peace-making with Israel.

Senior Fatah lawmaker Ashraf Gomaa told Reuters by telephone from Gaza that at least 90 of those arrested on Monday had been identified, but that the Hamas sweeps were continuing.

"We urge the Egyptian leadership to take a stronger position towards these actions by Hamas, which create doubt among our people over the importance of, and the need for, these continued talks in Cairo," Gomaa said.

A top Abbas aide said that Palestinian security forces had arrested about 10 Hamas operatives in the West Bank in the past several days on suspicion of planning attacks.

"We are now convinced that (Hamas) is not ready to reach an agreement in Cairo," Tayyeb Abdel-Rahim said.

"These Fatah positions have only one aim, which is Fatah's desire to foil the dialogue," Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri told Reuters by telephone from the Gaza Strip.

Gomaa's remarks came hours before a spokesman for Fatah's security forces in the West Bank, where Fatah holds sway, announced that 100 Hamas members "who do not pose a threat to general security and the rule of law" would be released on Monday and Tuesday.

Sources close to the reconciliation talks in Cairo said the latest round on Sunday had stalled due to disagreements over a mechanism to end factional arrests. Both groups deny the arrests are politically motivated.

Hamas and Fatah delegations held talks on Monday with Egyptian intelligence chief Omar Suleiman, who has led Egypt's efforts to heal the rift between both parties for nearly a year.

Egypt, frustrated at the lack of progress, has set a July 7 deadline for signing a compromise deal.

In Monday's meeting, Egypt proposed that the two groups simultaneously begin releasing prisoners with a cessation of new arrests in the run up to the July 7 deadline, but the proposal would be fleshed out on Tuesday when Egypt formally presented it to the two groups, according to senior Fatah negotiator Zakaria al-Agha.

"I think the proposal could lead to ending this problem if there were true intentions," Agha told Reuters in Cairo.

Hamas officials could not be reached for comment.

Hamas had previously warned a deal would not be possible unless Fatah ended arrests against its members in the West Bank and released a significant number of the 920 Hamas supporters held by Fatah. It has dismissed previous releases as being cosmetic and usually followed by fresh arrests.

Fatah has said Hamas is holding nearly 300 of its men in jails in the Gaza Strip, which is run by the Islamist group.

A deal would aim to gradually end the divisions by setting up a joint committee to handle the reconstruction of Gaza, largely destroyed in an Israeli offensive in December, prepare for presidential and parliamentary elections in Gaza and the West Bank, and reform Palestinian security services.

(Additional reporting by Mohamed Assadi in Ramallah; Editing by Samia Nakhoul)