Dr. Mousa Abu Marzouk, deputy political bureau chairman of Hamas, has denied press allegations that the meeting between Fatah and Hamas leaders Mahmoud Abbas and Khaled Mishaal was postponed due to the events in Cairo. He disclosed in a statement to the PIC on Monday that the meeting was brought a day earlier from Friday 25 November to Thursday 24, adding that the Hamas delegation would leave to Cairo on Wednesday. He said that the discussion would tackle reconciliation files, noting that Fatah movement was the party that ruled out Salam Fayyad as the premier of the unity government. Abu Marzouk underlined that even Fayyad did not wish to occupy the post. The Hamas leader would not go into details of the candidates for the post of premier, leaving the matter to the Abbas-Mishaal meeting. He said that the (Hamas-led) government in Gaza had released all political detainees and those left in custody were there for specific reasons, which were explained in a memo. He said that releasing the political detainees in the West Bank, who were interned by the (Fatah-led) government in Ramallah would be regarded as a sign of goodwill. Press reports had speculated that the Mishaal-Abbas meeting would be deferred due to the current violent events in Cairo between demonstrators and security forces, which are focused in Tahrir square in central Cairo. /129
