Gaddafi refuses to meet Abbas in Libya
Al-Quds al-Arabi newspaper reports Palestinian president met Libyan senior officials during visit, but not with president. North African country slated to host Hamas delegation in Arab summit next month
Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi avoided meeting Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas while the latter was visiting Tripoli despite his explicit requests, the London-based al-Quds al-Arabi reported Tuesday.
According to the report, Abbas met with Libyan officials on Sunday in an attempt to reach a decision on the makeup of the Palestinian delegation to an Arab summit, which has been scheduled to take place in the country at the end of March. The talks failed when the Libyan leadership did not change its decision to allow Hamas representatives to attend the summit, to which Abbas objects.
The report further stated that Abbas met with Libyan Prime Minister Baghdadi Mahmudi, the foreign minister and other senior officials, but could not secure a meeting with President Gaddafi.
Sources in Abbas' entourage said that the talks had failed over the reconciliation issue between Fatah and Hamas and the Palestinian delegation's makeup.
According to the report, Hamas politburo chief Khaled Mashaal had officially asked Libya to allow him to attend the Arab summit as a representative of Hamas, but also informed Tripoli that the Islamist movement will agree to join the Palestinian Hashemite delegation which is to participate in the conference.
Abbas explained this with the fact that Hamas will announce its willingness to sign a reconciliation agreement in Cairo without amedments, which it has thus far refused to do.
