Russia: Fatah and Hamas reps. hopeful of Palestinian unity after Moscow talks

The prospect of Palestinian political unity was heralded by both Fatah and Hamas representatives during talks on the subject in Moscow, Tuesday.
Fatah’s Central Committee member, Azzam al-Ahmad, stated that talks could lead to “the process of creating a new government preceding the establishment of the National Palestinian Council.” Al-Ahmad continued: “this organisation will be engaged in the electoral process, including in the National Palestinian Council, in accordance with the agreements we have reached."
Al-Ahmad was speaking alongside the Deputy Chairman of Hamas' Political Bureau, Mousa Mohammed Abu Marzook, who, in turn, said that the prospect of a political deal “could not be called a compromise or a concession because when all Palestinian groups attain unity, I think there will be benefits to all of them.”
At the conclusion of the negotiations that started on Sunday, representatives of the seven participating groups released their statements. The need for the talks began after the Palestinian statehood movement split leading to a brief conflict, which lasted from January 2006 to May 2007, leaving over 600 dead.
The negotiations took place at the Institute of Oriental Studies and also involved Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, and the Palestinian National Initiative and Palestine Communist Party. The talks coincided with the Middle East Peace conference in Paris, which both Israel and Palestine have refused taken part in.