Jeddah, January 05: Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal has expressed his willingness to sit down with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Cairo as part of national reconciliation efforts. He pointed out Hamas was ready to do all that was necessary for a unified Palestine.
Meshaal’s was speaking at a press conference at the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) headquarters in Jeddah.
Meshaal, highlighting the plight of the Gazan people, was highly critical of Israel. “The dire situation in Gaza is the result of the siege imposed by the Zionists and their prevention of any reconstruction in the area after the latest violence in the region,” he said.
“The Palestinian people are strangled and their movement restricted, and these acts keep the region in a state of perpetual tension,” he added, claiming it would be wrong to blame Hamas for allegedly mismanaging the area.
“Aid from everybody is welcome. But Hamas will not accept any aid from those who want to dictate terms,” he said in response to a question on who the organization would accept help from.
On the issue of reconciliation with the Fatah movement, Meshaal reiterated his reservations concerning a proposal from Egypt, which requested key elections to be held next June in the Gaza Strip and West Bank. He had made this statement on Sunday during a press conference with Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal in Riyadh.
“The relations between Hamas and Egypt are strong, but I would like my Egyptian brothers to rethink the building of the wall. I would also like to add that Egypt has every right to protect its borders,” he added.
OIC Secretary-General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu added that reconciliation should be completed as soon as possible, as this would enable the Palestinian people to address the major issue of Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
Ihsanoglu also praised Egypt and Saudi Arabia for their efforts in achieving unity.
He reaffirmed the OIC’s supporting role in talks and urged the Palestinians to work on the 2006 Makkah agreement, which forms a framework for reconciliation.
Ihsanoglu said the OIC would continue to support unifying efforts and sustain the delivery of aid to Gaza. According to him, several humanitarian organizations in the European Union use the OIC’s Al Arish bureau in Egypt to help people in Gaza.
——Agencies