Palestinian Factions Invited to Attend Cairo Meeting on Reconciliation

Ramallah, MINA – All the Palestinian factions that have signed the 2011 Cairo agreement to reconcile Fatah and Hamas and reunite the West Bank and Gaza Strip have received an invitation to attend the two-day meeting scheduled for November 21 in Cairo, WAFA reported, citing Qais Abdul Karim, deputy secretary general of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, in a tatement on Monday.

He told Voice of Palestine radio that the meeting will discuss issues such as the structure of the national unity government, the countdown to holding elections, the issue of the Palestine Liberation Organization, and convening a session for the Palestinian National Council.

He said that with the exception of the government, all other issues have been agreed on and all that is left is a timeline for implementation.

Egypt has been spearheading efforts to reconcile the Palestinian factions, which culminated in an agreement in October to end the 10-year division that plagued the Palestinians following Hamas takeover of power in Gaza in 2007.

Meanwhile, the head of the Energy Authority, Zafer Melhem, said that work is underway to rehabilitate of electricity network in the Gaza Strip and the minute the plan is ready, it will be presented to the Council of Ministers for approval and then to securing funding for it from the donors.

Melhem told Voice of Palestine on Monday that the deficit in electric power for the Gaza Strip currently stands at 68 percent and that work is underway to provide electricity in the Gaza Strip for a minimum of eight hours a day. He said getting 100 percent of electricity might take years. (T/RS5/RS1)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)