Members of Fatah's Central Committee told Ma'an on Sunday that President Mahmoud Abbas will not meet with senior-most Hamas leader Khaled Mash'al until Hamas signs the Egyptian reconciliation document.

Their statements follow news that the Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheikh Muhammad As-Sabah said that a reconciliation meeting will be held within the next ten days between Abbas and Mash’al, Kuwaiti media reported on Sunday.

"A meeting will join Abbas and Mash'al, aimed at accomplishing the reconciliation proposal backed by Egypt. Hamas rules itself and all discussions concerning affiliations to other sides are false," Sheikh As-Sabah told the Kuwaiti daily Al-Qabs.

Efforts to end Fatah-Hamas rivalry have been stonewalled, as Hamas demands that its amendments be taken into consideration. Meanwhile, Fatah officials say that the reconciliation document is finalized and have accused Hamas of attempting to stay general elections by delaying the ratification of the agreement.

As-Sabbah further said that the peace process is at a precarious stage as Israel is governed by a "gauche and insane" prime minister, and expressed concern for the internal Palestinian division, the basis of Arab disagreement at present.

"There is no [new Arab-Israeli peace plan]. The initiative proposed by the King of Saudi Arabia Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz and approved at the Beirut Summit is our focus. This initiative focuses on comprehensive peace and total end of the [Israeli] occupation. We are now activating this plan and not seeking any alternative."

Fatah and the reconciliation document

At the beginning of January Azzam Al-Ahmad, speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council's Fatah bloc, accused Hamas leader Mash'al of lying when he said a reconciliation agreement was in the final stages.

"If Mash'al is telling the truth, let him go to Cairo and tell the Egyptians that Hamas agrees to their reconciliation plan," Al-Ahmad said.

"Hamas' deception and wordplay pushed Egypt and the Arab League secretary-general to declare that it was Hamas who impeded national reconciliation," he added, noting that "Egypt revealed recently that Hamas thwarted Palestinian reconciliation."

Mash'al, Hamas' most senior leader, said on Sunday the Islamic movement was close to achieving a deal with its Fatah rivals. "We achieved great strides toward achieving reconciliation," he told reporters Riyadh, according to Reuters. "We are in the final stages now."

Haniyeh calls for new Palestinian strategy

On Friday de facto Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh called on the creation of a new Palestinian and Arab strategy based on an evaluation of previous talks and establishing ties with Turkey and Iran, he said during a Friday sermon in Gaza City.

Haniyeh specified three bases upon which a new Palestinian strategy should be founded on, including admitting the failure of prior negotiations, entering in national dialogue to establish a political program and the signing of the Egyptian-sponsored reconciliation document, taking into account Hamas' amendments.

The de facto prime minister further claimed that members of the Palestinian leadership were making use of the current impasse to oust Hamas with a tampered election.

"The Palestinian strategy should be based on structuring the Palestine Liberation Organization on national and administrative foundations, then elections for the legislative council can be held," he said.