Wednesday morning, Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas met in Cairo
with the Egyptian President Hosny Mubarak and discussed the ongoing
efforts to revive the Peace Process in the Middle East and the
formation of a National Unity Government.
The two leaders also discussed efforts to stop the Israeli military aggression and escalation in the Gaza Strip and the rest of the Palestinian occupied territories.
Abbas was accompanied by his advisor Nabil Abu Rodeina, Secretary General of the Presidency Tayyeb Abdul-Rahim, Palestinian Legislator Mohammad Dahlan, and the Palestinian ambassador to Egypt, Monther Al Dajani.
Besides the president, the Egyptian side was represented by Egypt's Foreign Minister, Ahmad Abu Al Gheit, and Secretary General of Mubarak, Zakariyya Azmi.
On the Palestinian side, senior sources reported that in principle an agreement on the National Unity government have been reached.
According to the sources Hamas, that enjoys a vast majority in the parliament will get ten ministerial posts, and Fateh will get six.
Four other ministerial posts will be given to other parliamentarian blocs, five for independent figures, including three that Hamas will name and Fateh has the right to reject one, while Fateh will name two and Hamas has the right to reject one.
Mohammad Shbeir, head of the Islamic University in Gaza, close to Hamas but not a member, enjoys a semi-full agreement from all factions to head the government.
In the January 2006 legislative elections, Hamas won 74 seats while Fateh won only 45, the rest of the factions and independent figures won 13 seats.
