Special report: Palestine-Israel Relations

    GAZA, Oct. 5 (Xinhua) -- A Hamas delegation to Cairo will seek national Palestinian reconciliation rather than exploring the positions of the Palestinian factions, a senior Hamas leader said on Sunday.

    The delegation, which will start its meetings with the Egyptian officials on Tuesday, "will seek to reach national reconciliation and will not want to explore the positions of the factions which held bilateral talks with the Egyptians," said Mahmoud Zahar, former Hamas Foreign Minister.

    "In Cairo, Hamas will listen to what is offered and will present practical suggestions that could achieve the goals of the national dialogue," Zahar added.

    Egypt has held a series of separate talks with representatives of all Palestinian factions in a bid to resume the inter-Palestinian dialogue and end political separation between the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip and the Palestinian National Authority-ruled West Bank.

    In June 2007, Hamas took control of the Gaza Strip by force after routing security forces of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah movement.

    On Saturday, a Fatah official told reporters that his movement was ready to join Hamas in a national coalition government.

    Zahar, however, refused to comment on the remarks, saying that Hamas "deals with the Egyptian officials, not with the media."