Arafat, Hawatmeh discuss basis of Palestinian dialogue

A new round of the Palestinian national dialogue began yesterday evening in Cairo, where two leading delegations from the Fatah movement and the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine were to confer.

The two delegations were to be chaired by Palestinian President Yasser Arafat and DFLP Secretary General Nayef Hawatmeh who have not met together in six years.

The meeting is expected to conclude today by issuing a joint statement and announcing the formation of a minimized committee for following up on the dialogue, like the dialogue held at the beginning of the current month between Fatah and the People's Front for the Liberation of Palestine.

Hawatmeh, who is visiting Cairo for the first time in 20 years, said the leadership of the Fatah movement and the DFLP chose Cairo to host this meeting from among eight Arab capitals.

El-Taieb Abd El-Reheem, the secretary general of the Palestinian presidency, said the talks with the DFLP support the idea of convening an expanded meeting in Ramallah in the West Bank on Thursday, comprising the majority of the Palestinian factions.