Meeting between Fatah and Hamas

The official responsible for international planning and cooperation in the Palestinian government, Nabil Shaath, stated that representatives of the Fatah movement will hold talks next Thursday with representatives of the Hamas movement on achieving genuine Palestinian unity, according to Israel Radio. The radio quoted Hani al-Hassan, one of Fatah's prominent figures,as expressing his hope of conducting a constructive dialogue that will include all Palestinian groups with the objective of strengthening the Palestinian position in the negotiations with Israel.