Fatah, Hamas leaders debate PLO reform in Cairo

Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas and Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal met on Thursday to discuss reforming the Palestine Liberation Organisation.

The two men began meeting in Cairo at midday for talks marking the culmination of three days of discussions among Hamas, Fatah and the other 13 Palestinian factions aimed at thrashing out a stalled unity deal. Egyptian intelligence chief Murad Muwafi and Palestinian independents also took part.

Abbas and Meshaal had held three hours of talks on Wednesday evening in what was the second time they had met in less than a month. Independent MP Mustafa Barghouti said the participation of unaffiliated delegates such as himself and businessman Munib al-Masri alongside representatives of Hamas and Islamic Jihad was "a historic event." "It is the first time there is a unified leadership for all political and intellectual streams," he told media.

The talks were focused on "national strategy and policy, and the programme of resistance" as well as reforming the PLO, he said.