Bethlehem – Ma‘an – Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas laid out his vision on Saturday that "the only way to halt Israeli hostilities would be a comprehensive ceasefire in Gaza Strip first, then in the West Bank".
Abbas announced that he held discussions with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak over the developments in the Palestinian arena in general, and the escalating security conditions in Gaza Strip in particular.
With regards to the outcome of his meeting with Hamas politburo chief Khaled Mash‘al in Cairo yesterday, Abbas revealed that "several issues were to be tackled regarding the formation of the Palestinian unity government and the needed steps to be conducted in order for the government to progress in its performance and to be able to lift the siege imposed on the government and the people".
"The government is a partnership between all parties which includes opinions and decisions rather than being only a group of names", President Abbas declared.
"The needed discussions over the reformation of the PLO are ongoing, and a meeting was held in Damascus ten days ago," confirmed the Palestinian president.