Hamas head meets Carter to seek support for reconciliation

Khaled Meshaal, head of  the Hamas movement's political bureau,  met on Friday evening, former US President Jimmy Carter in Cairo,to seek an end to American "obstacles" which he claimed are blocking the Palestinian reconciliation eforts. Ismail Radwan, a leader in the movement, said that the meeting tackled Palestinian political affairs and Palestinian reconciliation and emphasised the need to remove obstacles put  in place by the US administration in order to achieve the reconciliation. Hamas and Fatah announced Sunday a new agreement between them under Egyptian auspices, to precipitate the reconciliation which will begin with the work of the Central Election Commission in the Gaza Strip on May 27. On the same day, consultations will commence to form a new government headed by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.  These consultations will last for ten days. The formation of a transitional government and the work of the Central Election Commission are the two main conditions in applying the reconciliation agreement between Hamas and Fatah in preparation for a general election.The two groups reached the agreement on April 27, 2011 in Cairo. A source within Hamas said earlier on Friday, that Carter and Meshaal will meet to discuss the political implications of the Arab Spring. The source added that the movement's leadership will enlighten Carter as to "the difficult situations experienced by Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails, and the Palestinian situation in general under the Israeli aggression and the unjust siege, which continues to be imposed on  the Gaza Strip."Carter arrived in Egypt on Sunday to head a delegation from his foundation, The Carter Center, which were part of the monitoring team supervising voting during the Egyptian elections.  He met on Monday with Parliament spokesperson and leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, Saad Katatni. The Carter Center is a non-governmental organisation set up to advance global democracy and improve human rights. On the other hand, the source described Meshaal and his delegation's visit to Kuwait which lasted several days, as “positive and a contribution towards trengthening relations between us and our Arab brothers." On Monday, Meshaal, who is temporarily living in Qatar, began a visit to Kuwait where he met with the Kuwaiti prince Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah. He also met with the head of the Kuwaiti National Assembly and the Prime Minister and Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Interior before arriving in Cairo on Thursday evening.