国际英语新闻：Palestinians to sign reconciliation agreement late October:Egyptian FM

AMMAN, Oct. 6 (Xinhua) -- Feuding Palestinian factions will sign a reconciliation agreement in Cairo on Oct. 25, Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit said in Amman, according to the report of Jordan News Agency Petra on Tuesday.

    In a joint press conference with his Jordanian counterpart late Monday, Abul Gheit said after the factions sign the agreement on Oct. 25, another meeting will take place on Oct. 26 between the Arab Follow-up Committee and heads of Palestinian factions to sign on the agreement as witnesses.

    He said representatives of non-Arab countries are also scheduled to attend the October 26 meeting as witnesses to the signing of the reconciliation charter.

    The Arab Follow-up Committee groups foreign ministers of Jordan, Palestine, Yemen, Bahrain, Morocco, Syria, Egypt, Lebanon and Saudi Arabia, in addition to Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa.

    Abul Gheit said Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas agreed to sign the reconciliation agreement for which Egypt has been pushing since the beginning of 2009.

    As of early this year, Egypt has been leading efforts to end the rift between Palestinian rival Fatah Movement and Hamas. It held several meetings in Cairo bringing about representatives from both movements to reach a concord between the two sides but its efforts failed.

    Disputes between Fatah and Hamas started after the latter won the Palestinian legislative elections in 2006. The feud widened after Hamas ousted Fatah-dominated security forces in the Gaza Strip in June 2007.