By Xinhua,
Ramallah : A senior Palestinian official close to President Mahmoud Abbas revealed on Wednesday that several Arab leaders back his call for holding early elections, incase internal reconciliation talks fail.
“President Abbas’ call for holding presidential and legislative elections early next year if the dialogue fails, was coordinated with Arab leaders who assured him that they would back his call if the dialogue sponsored by Cairo failed,” said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
He told the Gaza-based news agency SAMA that Abbas would head soon for talks in several Arab and foreign countries to review the current political situation.
“President Abbas would visit several countries soon as part of his contacts and consultations with Arab and world leaders concerning the peace process and the internal Palestinian situation,” said the official.
Abbas, who was elected by Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) as president of the future Palestinian state two days ago, announced that if the inter-Palestinian talks abort, he would call for early elections by January next year.
On Tuesday, Abbas reiterated that the elections would be held in both the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip and the West Bank, adding that “if Hamas wins again, we will respect it, and if Hamas loses, it should respect the results.”
Meanwhile, the official revealed that secret talks might be held between rival Fatah and Hamas under an Egyptian sponsorship, with several Arab representatives at presence.
“Once a secret agreement is reached between the two sides, it would be a good soil to launch an open and comprehensive dialogue as soon as possible,” said the official.
Also in the day, Arab foreign ministers held an emergency meeting at the Arab League headquarters in Cairo to discuss the current Palestinian situation, the blockade imposed on Gaza and the future of the peace process with Israel.