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| Palestinians set for Mecca talks | Palestinians set for Mecca talks |
| (about 4 hours later) | |
| Palestinian leaders whose factions have engaged in deadly battles are preparing for talks in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, seen as a last chance to avoid civil war. | Palestinian leaders whose factions have engaged in deadly battles are preparing for talks in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, seen as a last chance to avoid civil war. |
| Hopes are high the meeting between PM Ismail Haniya and President Mahmoud Abbas may lead to a unity government and revitalise peace moves with Israel. | Hopes are high the meeting between PM Ismail Haniya and President Mahmoud Abbas may lead to a unity government and revitalise peace moves with Israel. |
| Mr Haniya's Hamas and Mr Abbas's Fatah factions have been locked in a bitter power struggle over the last year. | Mr Haniya's Hamas and Mr Abbas's Fatah factions have been locked in a bitter power struggle over the last year. |
| About 60 people have been killed in the Gaza Strip in the last two weeks. | About 60 people have been killed in the Gaza Strip in the last two weeks. |
| There may be obstacles but we confirm that we are going with true intentions to reach a Palestinian-Palestinian agreement Ismail Haniya Press holds breath However, a shaky ceasefire has been holding since Saturday, after the latest round of violence flared last week. | There may be obstacles but we confirm that we are going with true intentions to reach a Palestinian-Palestinian agreement Ismail Haniya Press holds breath However, a shaky ceasefire has been holding since Saturday, after the latest round of violence flared last week. |
| And the signals emerging from both camps ahead of Wednesday's talks have been distinctly positive, says the BBC's Alan Johnston in Gaza. | And the signals emerging from both camps ahead of Wednesday's talks have been distinctly positive, says the BBC's Alan Johnston in Gaza. |
| There is talk of progress having been made in the run-up to the meeting, with both sides saying they are hopeful a deal will bring them together in unity government. | There is talk of progress having been made in the run-up to the meeting, with both sides saying they are hopeful a deal will bring them together in unity government. |
| Delegations from Fatah and Hamas both arrived in Jeddah on Tuesday and separately met their host King Abdullah before holding preliminary talks together. | Delegations from Fatah and Hamas both arrived in Jeddah on Tuesday and separately met their host King Abdullah before holding preliminary talks together. |
| On Wednesday they will be joined by other senior officials and move to a royal palace in Mecca to begin the talks in earnest. | On Wednesday they will be joined by other senior officials and move to a royal palace in Mecca to begin the talks in earnest. |
| Separately, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has said he will meet Mr Abbas and US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on 19 February. | Separately, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has said he will meet Mr Abbas and US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on 19 February. |
| The summit was proposed by Ms Rice during her recent visit to the Middle East aimed at reviving peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians. | The summit was proposed by Ms Rice during her recent visit to the Middle East aimed at reviving peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians. |
| Mr Olmert said he hoped Mr Abbas would not forge a unity government with Hamas that stopped short of meeting Western demands to recognise Israel and renounce violence. | |
| Saudi motives | Saudi motives |
| Hamas has so far refused to recognise Israel or renounce violence - both preconditions to end a crippling Western aid boycott of the Hamas government. | Hamas has so far refused to recognise Israel or renounce violence - both preconditions to end a crippling Western aid boycott of the Hamas government. |
| Replacing the current Hamas-led government with a more moderate coalition might enable the Palestinians to re-engage more fully with the West, says our correspondent. | Replacing the current Hamas-led government with a more moderate coalition might enable the Palestinians to re-engage more fully with the West, says our correspondent. |
| "There may be obstacles but we confirm that we are going with true intentions to reach a Palestinian-Palestinian agreement that would end tensions and reinforce national unity," said Mr Haniya. | "There may be obstacles but we confirm that we are going with true intentions to reach a Palestinian-Palestinian agreement that would end tensions and reinforce national unity," said Mr Haniya. |
| Earlier Hamas-Fatah meetings - brokered by other Arab countries, Egypt, Syria and Qatar - have been preceded by equally optimistic words, but have led to nothing. | Earlier Hamas-Fatah meetings - brokered by other Arab countries, Egypt, Syria and Qatar - have been preceded by equally optimistic words, but have led to nothing. |
| Hamas gunmen have been involved in fierce clashes with Fatah rivalsBut there is a feeling that this time could be different, our correspondent says. | Hamas gunmen have been involved in fierce clashes with Fatah rivalsBut there is a feeling that this time could be different, our correspondent says. |
| There is huge domestic and international pressure on the two parties for a breakthrough, and the talks are being held in the auspicious surroundings of Islam's most holy city. | There is huge domestic and international pressure on the two parties for a breakthrough, and the talks are being held in the auspicious surroundings of Islam's most holy city. |
| The mediating will be done by Saudi Arabia, which has significant political and financial clout. | The mediating will be done by Saudi Arabia, which has significant political and financial clout. |
| Saudi Arabia also has its own motives for seeking a solution to the crisis in Gaza, says the BBC's Middle East analyst Roger Hardy. | Saudi Arabia also has its own motives for seeking a solution to the crisis in Gaza, says the BBC's Middle East analyst Roger Hardy. |
| Saudi leaders are deeply uneasy about the role of Iran in three of the region's main trouble spots - Iraq, Lebanon and Palestine, he says. | Saudi leaders are deeply uneasy about the role of Iran in three of the region's main trouble spots - Iraq, Lebanon and Palestine, he says. |
| Saudi Arabia may have ambitions of filling a leadership vacuum in the Arab world, he says - though whether they are capable of doing so remains to be seen. | Saudi Arabia may have ambitions of filling a leadership vacuum in the Arab world, he says - though whether they are capable of doing so remains to be seen. |