Abbas in Syria for talks on ending Palestinian infighting


dpa German Press Agency
Published: Saturday January 20, 2007

Damascus- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas flew into Damascus Saturday for talks with Syrian officials and a number of Palestinian leaders on ways of ending the infighting between the two rival Palestinian factions, Hamas and Fatah. The talks were also aimed at reaching a settlement to the Palestinian crisis over the formation of a national unity government.

Abbas was greeted at Damascus airport by Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem.

He said there were many common issues to be discussed with the Syrians "and it's high time to discuss these issues."

Abbas, who is due to hold talks later in the day with Khaled Mashaal, head of Hamas' political bureau, has said the talks with Hamas' leaders would be a last-ditch effort to end the crisis in Palestinian society.

He threatened to call early elections if the two sides did not reach agreement on forming a national unity government.

"We say either there is a (unity) government or elections," Abbas said.

Abbas has been pushing Hamas for months to join him in a more moderate coalition government of independent experts. Those talks broke down in November, leading to a month of political violence that killed 35 people in the Gaza Strip.

Tensions have been high for the past year since Hamas defeated Abbas' Fatah movement in legislative elections. Abbas favours peace talks with Israel, while Hamas remains committed to Israel's destruction, despite an international boycott against the Hamas-led government.

Moussa Abu Marzouk, deputy head of Hamas' political bureau, told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa Saturday that the talks held recently in Damascus between Hamas' leaders and Abbas' two envoys were "good and positive," expressing hopes that all differences would be settled during Abbas' visit.

Abbas' last visit to Damascus was in July, 2005.

After Abbas' meeting with Syrian President Bashar Assad, the Palestinian president's press advisor Nabil Amre told reporters that the meeting was "very cordial and very candid and dealt with all Palestinian affairs in detail."

Assad discussed with Abbas the situation in the Palestinian Territories and efforts exerted to lift the siege imposed on the Palestinians, Syria's official news agency SANA reported.

Assad stressed the "necessity for the Palestinian people at this critical stage to reject internal fighting and strengthen national unity," SANA said.

The Syrian president called on all Palestinians to use dialogue as the only language to reach a national-unity government.

© 2006 dpa German Press Agency