Hamas, Fatah officials to meet in Cairo

Fatah and Hamas officials are scheduled to meet in Cairo on Monday to discuss implementing the reconciliation agreement signed more than a year ago, Palestinian sources told Ma'an. Fatah officials Azzam al-Ahmad and Sakhr Bseiso are due to meet with Hamas officials Mousa Abu Marzouq and Muhammad Nasr, the source said. The two factions are expected to confirm that the Central Elections Commission will begin operations in the Gaza Strip, a step they say is pivotal towards building a unity government. The meeting between the rival factions will take place after Hamas prime minister meets with representatives of the CEC in Gaza City. The head of the Central Elections Commission Hanna Nasser will meet Gaza premier Ismail Haniyeh on Monday. The CEC is expected to start work in Gaza to prepare offices and train employees to add 250,000 - 300,000 voters to the electoral register. Hamas and Fatah have led separate governments in Gaza and the West Bank since they split amid bitter fighting in 2007. On May 4, 2011, Abbas and Hamas chief Khalid Mashaal pledged in Cairo to form a government to prepare for elections within one year. More than one year on, both parties have failed to implement the most basic elements of the deal, with each side blaming the other for the impasse.