JERUSALEM, Oct. 11 (UPI) -- A top official of the Palestinian Fatah faction says a reconciliation agreement with rival Hamas may be signed on separate dates.
Azzam al-Ahmed, chairman of the Fatah faction in the Palestinian parliament and a member of the movement's central committee, told Israel's Ynetnews.com the decision to have the two sides sign the agreement separately while in Egypt was part of a compromise to prevent last-minute deadlocks.
Hamas sources say Egypt has set two signing ceremonies because it understands they cannot shake hands with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit told the Web site it appears the agreement won't be signed this month at any rate, with a signing ceremony originally set for Oct. 25 being postponed by "several weeks." Arab media outlets have reported the ceremony wouldn't be held until after the Muslim Eid al-Adha holiday in late November.
But al-Ahmed told Ynetnews.com senior Fatah officials had not been notified by Egypt of any delay.
