国际英语新闻:Fatah, Hamas discuss with Lebanese parliament speaker on Palestinian reconciliation

BEIRUT, May 7 (Xinhua) -- Lebanese parliament speaker Nabih Berri held Thursday two separate meetings with Palestinian Fatah Movement and Hamas Movement in Beirut, focusing on Palestinian national unity and reconciliation, the National News Agency (NNA) reported.

Berri met with Fatah representative Azzam Ahmad and Senior Hamas Leader Moussa Abou Marzouk, discussing on various ways and efforts to consolidate the Palestinian national unity.

"Berri has always been a fierce defender of the Palestinian rights not on the refugees' camps in Lebanon level only, but on the Palestinian issue as a whole," Ahmad said following the meeting.

He added that "we heard many propositions from Berri that can help in removing all obstacles facing the reconciliation of the Palestinian factions."

For his part, Marzouk said that "the meeting with Berri was positive and we believe that under his auspices, we can eliminate all the obstacles that stand in the way of forming a Palestinian national unity government."

On April 26, the Palestinian Central Elections Committee announced that it is ready for holding the general parliamentary and presidential elections in the Palestinian territories.

Last June, a unity Palestinian government was formed between Abbas Fatah Party and Islamic Hamas movement, which won the last parliamentary elections in 2006.

The agreement reached between the two rival groups was to form a unity government and after six months hold presidential and legislative elections.

However, deep disputes between the two sides obstructed the process of holding the elections.