Shaath: Egyptian delegation exerts intensive efforts to unify Palestinian ranks

Palestinian Deputy Prime Minister and Information Minister Nabil Shaath said Tuesday night that the Egyptian delegation is exerting every possible effort to get every Palestinian party to abide by the calm-down agreement with Israel.

Shaath said, in an interview with the Egyptian TV, that Egypt sponsored the inter-Palestinian dialogue as being of strategic importance particularly after the Israel withdrawal from Gaza.

Egypt played a central and vital role as a strategic ally for the Palestinian Authority (PA) to maintain the Palestinian right and end Israeli occupation.

He ruled out the possibility of the current situation in Palestinian territories to lead to a Palestinian civil war, pointing out that the Palestinian people who struggled for freedom would not be dragged into a civil war that could undermine the march toward peace and stability.

For his part, Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei confirmed the end of the crisis between the Palestinian Authorities and Hamas resistance movement.

Qurei told reporters in Ramallah that the incidents which took place in Gaza were tragic. Hamas is not an enemy group but rather a Palestinian faction protected by the Palestinian Authority, said the Palestinian Premier.

He said that Israel wanted mixing papers and prompting the Palestinians to "enter into inter-fighting."

There will be no peace or security except through establishing a viable Palestinian State with Al Quds as its capital, said Qurei.

Meanwhile, the Palestinian cabinet issued a statement following its weekly meeting, hailing Egypt's efforts to contain the PA-Hamas crisis.