Egypt on Tuesday welcomed comments by Hamas leaders that they were prepared to seal a unity accord with Fatah but said Cairo's proposal for Palestinian reconciliation was not up for negotiation. "Successive statements from several Hamas leaders regarding their willingness to achieve Palestinian reconciliation are welcome," foreign ministry spokesman Hossam Zaki said, according to AFP.
However, he ruled out requests by Hamas to modify some articles in the Egyptian-drafted document. "This matter would delay reconciliation indefinitely," Zaki said in a statement. "Opening the way for any changes in the document would mean...a regression," Zaki said.
According to Zaki, reservations from Hamas or any other faction will be taken into account when implementing the agreement.
The Egyptian official's statements came after Hamas' leader Khaled Meshaal said that his movement was ready to reconcile with Fatah if invited to Cairo.
