RAMALLAH, September 3, 2011 (WAFA) – A senior Fatah official denied claims that a new Fatah-Hamas reconciliation session planned to be held in Cairo this month had been postponed until after September, Saturday said the local Arabic daily Al-Ayyam.

It said, quoting the unnamed official, that a new meeting was discussed on Thursday in a  telephone call between Azzam al-Ahmad, Fatah Central Committee member who heads its delegation to the talks, and Mousa Abu Marzouk, deputy head of the Hamas.

A date for the meeting, the official said, was never set because it was supposed to be preceded by a meeting for the Palestinian factions, which was planned for August in Ramallah and Gaza to discuss implementation of the reconciliation agreement but was postponed as a result of the Israeli attacks on Gaza.

He said that after the factions hold their meeting, Fatah and Hamas will then hold a new session in Cairo to discuss implementation of the reconciliation terms.

He stressed the importance of continuing with reconciliation efforts before going to the United Nations in September to seek recognition of a Palestinian state even without agreeing on a unity government.

T.R./M.A.