Hamas links "national unity" deal to release of West Bank prisoners

Gaza City/Cairo - Hamas declared Sunday the success of national unity talks depends on the fate of its prisoners held in West Bank jails - as a sixth round of talks between rival Palestinian factions Hamas and Fatah opened in Cairo. All the outstanding issues in negotiations over a national unity alestinian government 'are linked to resolving the issue of the political arrests against Hamas members in the West Bank,' Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said in a statement. Hamas says 900 of its members and supporters are in jails controlled by security forces loyal to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank. Hamas wants Abbas to free all of them ithin a specific period of time. 'The first session of the dialogue between Hamas and Fatah in Cairo will focus on the issue of the political arrests,' Barhoum said. 'As soon as they agree on a solution to this issue, they will debate the other issues.' Barhoum denied reports that had recently appeared it suggest that Palestinian factions might postpone talks for another month. Egypt, which is brokering the talks, has said that a final reconciliation deal must be signed by July 7. 'The Palestinian factions haven't yet met to discuss the idea of postponing the talks for another month,' Barhoum said. 'But the ongoing arrests would make it difficult to reach an agreement so soon.' A total of five previous rounds of talks have faltered over the details of the conduct of elections, control of Palestinian security forces, and each group's arrest of members of the other. Speaking on the eve of the talks on Saturday, senior Fatah negotiator Azzam al-Ahmed said that 84 Hamas members were released from West Bank prisons last week, and that an additional 44 were released on Friday. 'The security forces are releasing Hamas members to create a positive atmosphere for the ... dialogue. Hamas doesn't say anything about 209 Fatah members imprisoned in Hamas jails in Gaza,' he said.