Inter-Palestinian dialogue starts in Cairo

In a meeting which is the first for the leadership of the Fatah movement and the leadership of the People's Front for the Liberation of Palestine since the signing of the Oslo agreement in 1993, Palestinian President Yasser Arafat warmly hugged the assistant secretary general of the front, Abu Ali Mustafa, prior to convening official talks in Cairo at the beginning of official meetings between Fatah and other groups in the PLO with the objective of unifying Palestinian ranks in preparation for the final status negotiations over the Palestinian territories.

The meeting came following a lengthy meeting of members of the central committee of the Fatah movement in Cairo on Saturday that concluded after midnight. It was the first meeting held outside the Palestinian territories since 1994, a matter which availed bringing together all members of the committee, including three men who are very well-known for rejecting the Oslo agreement, refusing to return to the self-rule territories and refusing to hold posts in the Palestinian Authority. They are Farouk al-Qaddoumi (Abu al-Lutuf), Muhammad Ghneim (Abu Maher) and Muhammad Jihad.

Officials in the Palestinian government and representatives for the PFLP said the dialogue between the two sides will be followed by meetings between Fatah and other groups, despite announcements made by certain sources that the meeting will be held at the beginning of next week between Arafat and the chairman of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, Nayef Hawatmeha.

Ahmad Qrei, the chairman of the Palestinian Legislative Council, told reporters in Cairo that a final date was not set yet, adding that the Palestinian national dialogue will also include Hamas and other Islamic forces.

Meanwhile, representatives for the PFLP denied that the decision of the front's secretary general, George Habash, not to meet with Araft means that the dialogue will not be continued. The representatives said that Habash's stand is "personal," adding that he links his meeting with Arafat to the latter's retreat from amendments he made to the Palestinian national charter.

While officials at the Palestinian government centered on the need to implement the Wye River agreement without any delay or amendment or link to final status negotiations, as proposed by Israeli Prime Ministr Ehud Barak, Abu Ali Mustafa and representatives of the PFLP stressed the importance of revitalizing the PLO in its capacity as the only reference for all Palestinians inside the occupied territories or in the diaspora and considering the national authority as part of the PLO, rather then the PLO itself.

They also called for commitment to the "national principles" especially the right of the Palestinians to return, Jerusalem and dismantling the Israeli settlements, "setting up a collective leadership for the Palestinians and not to take individual decisions of destiny to the Palestinian people."

The front's delegation highlighted the importance of continued national dialogue among the various Palestinian groups, including the Islamic forces.

The two sides held a morning session which lasted for four hours and resumed their talks late on Sunday night. It is expected that today a final statement will be released indicating the importance of continued meetings between the two sides as considering the Cairo meeting as the first chain in the series of other meetings not to be eventually held in Cairo.

Following his meeting with Arafat, Abu Ali Mustafa told reporters that the meeting resulted in several points of understanding, though there are points of conflict over Oslo and other agreements signed. "But we are of unanimous views over the main causes for the Palestinian people, especially Jerusalem the right for the return back of the refugees and dismantling of settlements," he said.

He denied that the aim of taking part in the Cairo's dialogue is to prepare for the people's front's participation in the final status negotiations. "We have not yet reached this point. The beginning is positive and the main lines are agreed upon. Yet, we are in need of other sessions," he said.