Hamas says intra-Palestinian meeting in Beijing 'important step towards national unity'

By Ahmed Asmar

ANKARA (AA) - A senior Hamas leader on Tuesday said the intra-Palestinian talks in the Chinese capital Beijing were an important step towards Palestinian national unity.

"The Beijing declaration is an additional positive step on the way to achieve a Palestinian national unity," said Husam Badran, a member of Hamas's political bureau and head of its national relations office, in a statement on the group's website.

Badran noted that during the Beijing meetings, it has been agreed to form a national unity government that supervises Gaza reconstruction and prepares the conditions for holding elections.

He added that having a national unity government is the best national solution for the Palestinian situation after the war on Gaza, and prevents regional and international interventions that "seek to impose realities against our people's interest."

Early on Tuesday, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi announced that the Palestinian factions have pledged to end divisions during their reconciliatory talks in Beijing.

Representatives from 14 Palestinian groups, including Fatah and Hamas, have held talks in Beijing since Sunday.

Video footage released by Chinese state media showed Wang walking along with the representatives of the Palestinian factions, including Hamas and Fatah, after their meeting held in Beijing.

The Palestinian Territories of the West Bank and Gaza Strip have been politically divided since June 2007 due to sharp disagreements between the Fatah and Hamas movements.

Hamas won the majority of seats in the 2006 legislative elections. It has since taken control of the Gaza Strip, while Fatah has ruled over the West Bank.