Palestinian president, Hamas chief discuss internal reconciliation

RAMALLAH - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Politburo Chief of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) Ismail Haniyeh on Thursday discussed ending the internal split and proceeding with internal reconciliation.

In a phone conversation, they discussed the follow-up to the outcomes of a meeting held in Egypt at the end of July, when leaders of Palestinian factions agreed to form a committee to promote dialogue, work to end division and achieve national unity, the official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported.

In a statement, Hamas said that Abbas and Haniyeh agreed on the need to expedite the formation of the committee.

"The agreed-upon committee will discuss all files so that it can present the outcomes of its discussions before the next meeting of the secretaries-general (of Palestinian factions)," the statement said.

The two leaders stressed the need to move forward to bring the Palestinian people closer and achieve internal unity "to strengthen the common national stance to confront the current challenges," it added.

The internal Palestinian division started in 2007 after Hamas forcibly took control of the Gaza Strip, home to more than 2 million people. - Xinhua