Abbas in Egypt to meet Tantawi, Mashaal

President Mahmoud Abbas arrived in Egypt on Tuesday ahead of scheduled talks with the head of Egypt's ruling military council and the exiled leader of Hamas. Abbas is expected to stay in Cairo for four days, meeting Egypt's Field Mashal Mohamad Hussein Tantawi, the head of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, and Khalid Mashaal, the head of Hamas. PLO official Nabil Shaath was quoted in local media saying there were two main items on the president's agenda: reconciliation with Hamas and "a political issue." He said developments in the Arab world and international arena had placed pressure on the Palestinian leadership to achieve reconciliation, an issue that is also holding up UN membership of a Palestinian state.