JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia (AFP) — Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas is due in Saudi Arabia on Sunday for talks with King Abdullah on regional issues, the official SPA news agency announced.
Abbas, a frequent visitor to the kingdom, will be arriving only days after proposing talks between his Fatah party and the rival Islamist movement Hamas, which seized control of the Gaza Strip from Fatah loyalists a year ago.
Hamas responded favourably to Abbas' overture, raising hopes of reconciliation between the two sides as the prospects for a peace deal with Israel before the end of the year look increasingly unlikely.
Saudi Arabia brokered an agreement between Fatah and Hamas in early 2007 that brought about a unity government for the Palestinians, but unbridled tensions between the two sides led to fierce fighting which resulted in the Gaza takeover only months later.
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