03/02/2010 almanar | A senior member of Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas' Fatah party made a rare visit to the Hamas-run Gaza Strip on Wednesday in a bid to encourage stalled reconciliation efforts.
Nabil Shaath, a member of the central committee of the secular Fatah, said he hoped to meet representatives from all the Palestinian factions including Hamas. "I want to see the citizens and their situation in Gaza. I am coming to part of the (Palestinian) homeland and I don't need a visa," he told reporters after passing through the Erez border crossing from the occupied territories.
"I am in contact with my brothers in Hamas and all the Palestinian factions, and all of them know about this visit. I am not on a secret mission. I hope this visit will create a better climate to encourage our brothers in Hamas to sign the Egyptian document," he said, referring to a unity deal proposed by Cairo that was signed by Fatah in October.
Hamas has refused to sign the proposed unity deal unless it is amended to reflect what the group says were previous understandings reached with Fatah.
