The upcoming meeting between Palestinians' rival parties Fatah and Hamas slated for Thursday in Cairo has sufficient drive towards implementing a reconciliation pact the two sides inked earlier in May.

Since the Palestinian division widened in June 2007 when Hamas seized control of the Gaza Strip, dialogues between the two parties have so far failed to achieve substantive reconciliation on the ground.

Palestinian officials said Palestinian National Authority President and Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas will meet Hamas chief Khaled Meshaal to overcome differences that blocked the implementation of the Egyptian-brokered reconciliation signed in Cairo on May 4.

The agreement stipulates the formation of a one-year transitional unity government for Palestinians. But the two rival groups disputed over the appointment of the future government's premier. Fatah insisted on the nominating of the current Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, a move Hamas is strongly against.

Recently, leaders of the groups said they are ready to overcome these differences. Away from the mass media, they held a series of marathon meetings in Cairo over the past couple of weeks and came up with some positive statements.

DEAL SOON TO BE STRUCK

Apparently, following these statements, a long-awaited plan to implement the reconciliation is going to happen soon.

Rajab Abu Serreya, a Palestinian political analyst based in the West Bank city of Ramallah, said conditions have become ready for overcoming the crisis and implementing the pact.

However, it is still unclear whether Fatah and Hamas would agree on a date for the general elections on Thursday. The pact sets the elections to be held on May 2012, but six months has passed since it was signed.

"The formation of the government is not a big problem now, since both sides have shown flexibility concerning this issue," Abu Serreya told Xinhua, referring to Fatah's willingness to drop Fayyad's nomination. "Agreement on holding the elections in May or on a new date will be the most important issue for the meeting."

Fatah previously proposed to hold the elections early in order to overcome the differences, but Hamas insisted the elections be held after the reconciliation is achieved with security and social stability in place.

GAPS NARROWED

It is expected that the Abbas-Meshaal meeting will announce a date for a number of committees to convene, including the committee in charge of the Palestine Liberation Organization's reforms. Members of other parties are also expected to participate in these committees.

Hani al-Masri, head of Bada'el Center for Surveys and Studies also based in Ramallah, said the meeting will be different this time "because the current interests of the two sides now are in need of the successful implementation of the reconciliation pact."

"Not only Fatah or Hamas are living a real crisis, but all the other Palestinian parties and factions do. The peace talks failed, the armed resistance is suspended ... and the popular resistance in the West Bank became weak," said al-Masri.

RECONCILIATION ESSENTIAL

Mohamad Abdel Hamid, a political analyst in the West Bank, said the real solution between the two rival movements "is to implement and achieve a practical reconciliation and agree on a joint political platform in order to be able to face the current difficult situation."

The significant development that the Palestinian people are witnessing "is the reunification of efforts towards a full UN membership for a Palestinian state that is established on the pre- 1967 territories with east Jerusalem as its capital," he said.

"Certainly, there are huge obstacles to the implementation of the reconciliation pact, mainly Israel's threat of economic sanctions. But these pressures can be overcome if the Palestinian leaders have the determination to reach their goals," Hamid said.