RAMALLAH, Nov. 7 (Xinhuanet) -- The ruling Fatah movement will hold meetings on Monday to name candidates for the legislative elections scheduled early next year, well-informed Palestinian sources said.

    The sources in Fatah said the meetings to be held in Ramallah are extremely important since they will decide on issues concerning the primaries of the movement and thus field candidates to run for the legislative elections due on Jan. 25, 2006.

    According to the sources, there are three trends inside Fatah, representing different opinions regarding the primaries.

    The first trend represents a majority of Fatah Central Committee members who reject holding primaries, while the second trend represents grassroots cadres who insist on holding the primaries, saying they are an unprecedented move to allow new blood into the movement.

    As for the third trend, represented by several Fatah leaders,supports for holding the primaries and warns danger of retreating from primaries.

    Monday's meetings come less than three weeks before the nomination process closes on Nov. 24, said the sources.

    Fatah, a dominant movement led by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, is believed to face tough challenges from the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) in the upcoming elections.

    The Islamic group has showed a strong street popularity in the Palestinian territories during the latest rounds of local elections. Enditem