Rival Palestinian leaders on Wednesday started crucial talks in the holy city of Mecca on ending their bloody street battles and forming a unity government. "We came here to agree and we have no other option but to agree," the exiled leader of Hamas, Khaled Mashaal, told the inaugural ceremony in a royal palace.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said he and his Fatah delegation had told all their supporters that "we will not leave this holy place until we have agreed on everything good, with God's blessing." "I tell our people to expect good news, and I hope this (meeting) will not be mere words in the air," Abbas said, according to the AP.
Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, who heads the Hamas-led government in the Palestinian territories, added "We ask God to grant that this will be a new page in Palestinian-Palestinian relations."
The summit was opened by Saudi King Abdullah at 1000 GMT at the Safa Palace overlooking the Grand Mosque compound.
