Fatah disbelieves sincerity of Hamas talks

GAZA, Oct. 11 (UPI) -- A spokesman for the Palestinian Fatah party in Gaza said he doubted the sincerity of an offer for reconciliation talks posted on a Hamas Web site.

"There is a serious movement in the realm of Palestinian dialogue and we have agreed to hold a dialogue with Fatah in one of the Arab capitals," former Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniya is quoted as saying on the site.

Palestinian President and Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas fired Haniya's government in June when Hamas militants took over Gaza. The Web site also quoted Haniya as saying Hamas' "administration in Gaza is temporary," al-Jazeera reported.

The posting said talks should be convened after this weekend's Eid al-Fitr, the Muslim festival that ends the fasting month of Ramadan.

However, Fatah spokesman Hazen Abu-Shanab told the network the Internet claim contained "no concrete, no real offer from Hamas," and there had to be more.

"It's not enough to have good words over the media from Hamas, we want action on the ground," he said.