RAMALLAH, March 11, 2018 (WAFA) - Azzam al-Ahmad, member of the Fatah Central Committee Sunday denied achieving any progress in implementing the reconciliation agreement, especially handing the ministers their duties in the Gaza Strip.

In an interview for Voice of Palestine radio, Al-Ahmad said that the issue of the government and ministers’ work remains standing, and that new problems have emerged, despite the presence of the Egyptian security delegation in the Gaza Strip.

He pointed out that the Egyptian delegation, which returned to Gaza today, will meet with Deputy Prime Minister Ziad Abu Amr, stressing that what is required is the strict and faithful implementation of the agreement signed in Cairo, hoping that the resumption of the Egyptian efforts will lead to results.

Regarding the convening of the national council, Al-Ahmad said that Hamas was not invited to attend because it would be held with its current formation and Hamas remains outside this shape due to the continued division.

Al-Ahmad added that President Mahmoud Abbas asked at the last meeting of the Executive Committee to continue efforts to end the division. He said, if reconciliation is achieved two days before the national council, we will hold a new council and if the end of the division is achieved a day after we are ready to hold a new Council.

Al-Ahmad described the meeting, which the United States called for to discuss the humanitarian situation in Gaza, as a trick, saying that the aim was to maneuver the decision made by the Palestinian leadership to politically boycott the US administration after its Jerusalem announcement.

He said that US envoy Jason Greenblatt, who called for this meeting, seeks to strain the atmosphere through his statements, in which he stressed the need to get rid of Hamas to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza.

Al-Ahmad pointed out that the US administration is seeking to evade the Arab peace initiative by inviting Arab countries to participate in the meeting where Israel is expected to attend, to change priorities and start the normalization of Arab-Israeli relations before ending the occupation under humanitarian pretexts.

He called on the US and Israel to lift the siege on Gaza instead of making these calls, stressing that the purpose behind this is to pass the so-called and rejected US "deal of the century".

Al-Ahmad stressed that there is no alternative to the vision of peace put forward by Abbas to achieve peace and stability.

M.H.