Hamas expected to re-elect Meshaal as head of political bureau

Meshaal met Egypt's intelligence chief, Major General Raafat Shehata on Monday Members of Palestinian movement Hamas are expected to re-elect Khaled Meshaal as head of the group's political bureau for the fourth time, informed sources have claimed .Sources in Gaza say Meshaal's popularity among Arab and Palestinian leaders is likely to see him re-elected by acclamation.
The senior Hamas official had initially declared that he would not run for presidency of the movement, but sources said that supporters have successfully convinced him to reverse his decision.
Members of Hamas' politburo and Shura council have been arriving in Cairo, from Qatar, Gaza, and elsewhere, for the leadership elections.
Meshaal and Gazan Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh held a meeting with Egypt's intelligence chief, Major General Raafat Shehata in Cairo on Monday morning.
Hamas spokesman Taher al-Nunu said that the two leaders discussed a whole host of issues with Shehata, including the Israeli obligations towards the truce agreement and the need for its implementation, the prisoners on hunger strike, and bilateral relations between Egypt and the Gaza Strip.
The Hamas delegates also reiterated their condemnation of the attack that killed 16 soldiers on the Egyptian-Israel border in August 2012.
Al-Nunu said that the Egyptian intelligence chief had assured the Palestinian officials of his keenness to follow up on the issues raised.
Meanwhile, senior Fatah official Azzam al-Ahmed, who leads the movement's reconciliation delegation, has claimed the process is "on schedule," and rejected Qatar's invitation for talks with Hamas.
Speaking to Palestinian state radio on Sunday, al-Ahmed described proposals to hold a mini-Arab summit to push forward with reconciliation as "pointless" and "suspicious."
The prominent politician explained that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas would issue two decrees to form a government and call an election after the voter database update is made public on April 10.
Al-Ahmed said that Egypt, which is brokering the unity talks, has not tried to fast-track the process or call a meeting between Fatah and Hamas, because it knows everything is on track.
Speaking at the 24th Arab League Summit in Doha last week, Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, had called on Egypt to sponsor a Palestinian reconciliation summit.
However, al-Ahmed says any such summit would complicate matters. "There is no crisis and the motivation behind Qatar's proposal is incomprehensible as it complicates things needlessly. Egypt is sponsoring the talks and we don't see any obstacles, unless Doha knows something we don't," he argued.
The Fatah official also said that negotiations about the new government may begin within the next 24 hours after the electoral roll has been completed.
Al-Ahmed raised hope that Hamas' leadership elections set for Monday "may help end the division," adding that it is likely to reduce the delays. "Hamas' internal problem [of voting for a new leader] will make the future of reconciliation much easier."
Palestinian and Egyptian sources have revealed that Hamas is expected to hold its leadership elections in Cairo on Monday, with the movement's senior leaders expected to be in attendance.
Hamas lawmaker Mushir al-Masry told reporters on Sunday that Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi is "keen" to achieve Palestinian unity and has held frequent meetings with Fatah and Hamas officials on the matter.
Al-Masry added that his group had welcomed reconciliation by agreeing to the appointment of Abbas to lead the new government and updating the voting register. However, he criticised Fatah for using reconciliation talks as a bargaining chip in a bid to restart negotiations with Israel. Al-Masry also claimed that the absence of a "unified programme" to bring Fatah and Hamas together was hindering the process, adding "any solutions outside of this programme would be partial and slapdash."
Al-Masry denied accusations emanating from Egyptian sources that Hamas had been involved in an incident in the city of Rafah, Sinai Peninsula, in which several Egyptian soldiers were killed last year. He said his movement had condemned the attack at the time and continues to cooperate with Egyptian security "to find the real culprits." He also claimed that allegations against Hamas in this regard were aimed at undermining the Muslim Brotherhood's rule in Egypt.