Abbas and Assad hold talks on Palestinian unity and peace

Damascus Mahmoud Abbas, President of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA), visited Damascus yesterday for talks with President Bashar Al Assad.

Coming from Jordan, where he met UN Special Coordinator for Middle East peace Robert Serry, Abbas raised expectations that he was about to announce a breakthrough in Palestinian dialogue, and hold one-on-one talks with Khaled Mesha'al, the Damascus-based leader of Hamas.

This was the first visit to Syria for the Palestinian leader since Hamas took over the Gaza Strip back in June 2007.Abbas, however, did not call on the Damascus-based leadership of Hamas, nor did he meet Mesha'al.

The Syria-based leaders of Hamas were not surprised and downplayed the cold shoulder they got from the Palestinian President, saying that they did not expect — nor had asked — for a meeting with Abu Mazen.

Speaking to Gulf News, Abu Khaled Usama, spokesman for Hamas in Damascus, refused to criticise Abbas, saying, "We hope that the silent waters [in internal-Palestinian dialogue] will be stirred after President Bashar Al Assad called for restoring Palestinian national solidarity [while meeting with Abu Mazen]."

He then called for "immediate implementation of dialogue (between Fatah and Hamas) based on the Makkah Agreement and the Cairo Agreement of March 2005."

He added, rather positively, that dialogue will be based on accumulation of previous talks, "we won't be starting from zero."

Speaking on his arrival at Damascus airport, Abbas said, "when we come to Syria, we come to our second home to discuss issues that concern us both; like peace talks, and de-escalation in the Gaza Strip."

Clear stand

Nabeel Abu Rudeinah, spokesman for the Palestinian president, insisted that the PNA fully supported indirect Syrian-Israeli peace talks, which are currently taking place under Turkish mediation in Ankara, saying, "any progress on the Syrian track strengthens us, is important to us, and welcomed by us."

Earlier many had speculated that Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert had turned to the Syrians after the Annapolis Conference after reaching a dead-end with the Palestinians, arguing that the Syrian track was at the expense of the Palestinian one.

Abu Rudeinah noted that Abbas was "still ready for reconciliation talks with Hamas in compliance with an earlier Arab League resolution. We want to hear a clear stand from Hamas first."

This was new for Fatah rhetoric, since earlier, Abbas refused any kind of dialogue with Hamas unless it ceded control of Gaza and recognised the PLO as the "sole and legitimate representative of the Palestinian people."

Meanwhile, Mesha'al, who has not yet commented on Abbas's visit, handed a working paper to Syrian authorities, claiming that it contained Hamas conditions for any future talks with Fatah.

The Hamas paper was divided into two parts, the listing nine points that include, administrative and political unification of the West Bank and Gaza Strip (one authority and one government), respect for the democratic choice of the Palestinians (which brought Hamas to power in 2005), acceptance of its results, and restructuring of the security services in the Palestinian territories based on merit and not on party affiliation.

It also includes a clause defending the right to resort to arms "so long as the occupation exists," and re-vamping the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO) to include all parties, both within the territories, and Palestinians in the Diaspora.

The second part of the document lays out solutions, calling for a caretaker national unity cabinet, and restoring the status quo to right before June 14, 2007 — when Hamas took over Gaza.

It also calls for the holding of legislative and presidential elections.

New hope

Anwar Raja, spokesman for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command (PFLP-GC) spoke to Gulf News saying, "strengthening relations [for Fatah] with Damascus are a step in the right direction."

He added, "continuing to bet on a particular Arab axis without opening up to Damascus constitutes a problem for the Palestinians; this means giving additional free cards to the enemy so they can be used to pressure [the Syrians]."

We hope that this visit turns out to be more than "a ceremonial, tourism one."

A Syria-based member of Fatah noted, "there is still hope within certain Palestinian circles in Syria that on the second day of the Abbas visit, Ahmad Qorei [former prime minister and current chief negotiator with the Israelis] will meet Meshaal on the behalf of Abu Mazen, and a breakthrough will happen. The right ingredients are there."

The writer is a Syrian political analyst