Speaker of Palestinian parliament calls for a serious dialogue

Monday September 15, 2008 12:21 by Rami Almeghari - IMEMC & Agencies

Deputy-speaker of the Hamas-dominated parliament in Gaza, Ahmad Bahar, called yesterday for a genuine intra-Palestinian dialogue between the rival Hamas and Fatah parties under the umbrella of the legislative council.

Ahmad Bahar, deputy-speaker of parliament

Bahar invited both parties to the Palestinian Legislative Council, to solve all the outstanding problems on basis of national conciliation and the higher interests of the Palestinian people.

He also praised the position of the Arab transitional parliament, which will convene Monday at the Arab league premises in Cairo, to discuss the national Palestinian dialogue.

The parliament speaker, who was taking part in a group breakfast in the occasion of the holy month of Ramadan, in Gaza city, added that the issue of Palestinian prisoners, particularly the lawmakers , whom Israel continue to detain, is one of the most important ones.

Bahar was quoted as saying " the continued imprisonment by Israel of the Palestinian lawmakers constitutes a clear-cut violation of the international humanitarian law".

The Hamas leader pointed out that the Israelis have turned down all appeals for the release of those lawmakers, who have been detained since the summer of 2006, the year in which Hamas mounted to power through democratic elections.

gaza strip | palestinian politics | news report rami at imemc dot org