Palestinian officials in Cairo talks
Palestinian prime minister Ahmad Quraya and new PLO chairman Mahmud Abbas have begun talks with Egyptian President Husni Mubarak in Cairo.
Aljazeera’s correspondent Husain Abd al-Ghani reported that the main issues under discussion are the Palestinian presidential elections due next January and legislative and municipal elections.
Palestinian resistance factions, particularly Hamas and Islamic Jihad, insist a date for the legislative and municipal elections should be set.
The Palestinian visit is aimed at assuring Egypt that Abbas’s relationship with the West will not affect his relations with the Arab world and particularly Egypt.
Abbas has worked closely with the West, particularly the United States. He is also in negotiations with Israel’s Likud party.