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AL chief urges Palestinians to continue national dialogue
6/6/2006 17:47

Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa said yesterday that it was important to maintain thePalestinian national dialogue, which was launched ten days ago, Egypt's official MENA news agency reported.

Moussa was quoted as saying that although the dialogue has not given rise to any agreement among Palestinian political factions, this was not the dialogue's last station.

The dialogue could slow down or failed to reach agreements at some point, but what was important was that it should continue, stressed Moussa.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas opened on May 25 a national dialogue by asking Palestinian factions to accept and adopt within ten days the National Accordance filed by Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, or he would put the proposal to a referendum within 40 days.

The prisoners' document calls for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the territories that wereoccupied by Israel in the 1967 Arab-Israeli war.

Hamas, which remains committed to the destruction of Israel, has so far refused to accept the document which is widely seen as implicit recognition of the Jewish state.

Also in the day, Moussa held phone talks with Palestinian Prime Minister and senior Hamas leader Ismail Haneya.

During the talks, Haneya asked the AL chief to swiftly act to lift economic blockade imposed on the Palestinians to ease the dire economic crisis on the Palestinian territories, according to MENA.

The ongoing financial crisis was resulted from an aid cutoff by major international donors after Hamas came into power in late March.

In addition, Israel has blocked the transfer of revenues to the Palestinian National Authorities.

For his part, Moussa promised to exert all efforts necessary to lift the siege on the Palestinians, said MENA.



Xinhua