Special report: Internal situation in Palestine  

    DAMASCUS, May 22 (Xinhua) -- Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem stressed on Tuesday the need to implement a ceasefire between Fatah and Hamas in order to confront the continuing Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people in Gaza.

    Muallem made the remarks in a meeting with exiled Hamas leader in Syria Khaled Meshaal, according to the official SANA news agency.

    Muallem also underlined the necessity to maintain unity among Palestinian factions in light of the Mecca Accord, which was signed in the Saudi city of Mecca in February on forming a national unity government.

    The two sides also discussed the clashes between the Lebanese troops and the radical Palestinian group of Fatah al-Islam around a Palestinian refugee camp in northern Lebanon during the past three days.

    Muallem reasserted that the activities of this organization would not serve the cause of the Palestinian people, stressing that the leader of this group is wanted by Syrian security forces.

    In Gaza, leaders of Hamas and Fatah factions, including Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Ismail Haneya of Hamas, postponed their meeting which was due to be held on Tuesday for security reasons.

    The meeting is meant to discuss the ongoing Israeli military escalation and the bloody wave of fighting between Hamas and Fatah. The internal violence stopped last Saturday due to an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire.