CAIRO
A member of the Palestinian delegation that conducted indirect Gaza cease-fire talks with Israel in August said on Monday that his delegation was ready to resume the talks, even as conflicts continued to rage between Palestinian factions making the delegation.
Delegation member Qais Abdel-Karim said that his delegation had already informed Egypt, which sponsors the talks, about this readiness.
When they approved a Gaza cease-fire in Cairo in August, the Palestinian factions and the Israeli side agreed to return to the Egyptian capital again to discuss some pending issues, including the desire of the Palestinians of Gaza to establish an airport and a deep seaport.
The talks should also dwell on measures to be taken by Israel to relieve its blockade on the Gaza Strip.
The cease-fire was reached on August 26 following 51 days of Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip, attacks that left around 2,160 Palestinians dead and more than 11,000 others injured.
Abdel-Karim denied reports about the cancelation of the indirect cease-fire talks with Israel, saying that it was Egypt that postponed the talks because of security conditions in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula.
"We have already told them [the Egyptian sponsors] about our readiness to resume the talks, even as there are differences among the members of the delegation," he told The Anadolu Agency, apparently referring to mounting tensions between rival Palestinian factions Fatah and Hamas.
The newly-formed Palestinian national unity government has recently been caught in the middle of growing tensions between Fatah and Hamas.
The mandate of the government, which was formed in June, should end on Tuesday. Both Hamas and Fatah keep trading accusations of being behind the failure of the government.
www.aa.com.tr/en
