Palestinian factions seek common front

Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas held talks with militant groups yesterday on accepting his ceasefire with Israel, a truce which the factions said depended on what Israel had to offer.

The militant groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad have demanded a timetable for an Israeli troop withdrawal and prisoner release as part of a package including a suspension of attacks on Israel, possibly for three months. At the opening of the meeting of a dozen or so Palestinian groups just outside Cairo, Mr Abbas warned against dawdling from Israel and said Palestinians would not take unilateral peace steps.

"We reject implementing unilateral commitments and at a time when we are on the way of achieving calm and a truce, we warn against any Israeli dawdling in implementing their commitments," Mr Abbas said. Mr Abbas, a moderate elected in January to replace the late Yasser Arafat, promised Israel an end to hostilities five weeks ago at a summit in Egypt. Militants did not formally join then but agreed to give Mr Abbas a chance to see what he could achieve.

Mohammad Nazzal, a senior Hamas leader, said moving from the current "calm" to a truce would need Israel to meet commitments such as ending attacks on Palestinians and releasing prisoners.

But he added: "This dialogue is bound to come up with something new."