Palestinians begin truce talks in Egypt

CAIRO (AFP) — Twelve Palestinian factions began talks in Egypt aimed at halting attacks on Israelis and reviving moribund peace negotiations, participants said.

The Palestinian militant movements Hamas and Islamic Jihad as well as the Fatah faction of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat were among the 12 groups that began talks around 12:30 pm (1030 GMT) in the Cairo area, the participants said.

The representatives of the 12 factions met in the presence of Egyptian intelligence chief Omar Suleiman, who last June brokered a Palestinian truce that was never recognized by Israel and collapsed in August.

Egypt, a major US ally and the first Arab country to have made peace with Israel, plays a key intermediary role in the peace negotiations.

The head of the political wing of Hamas, Khaled Meshaal, said in an interview with an Arabic newspaper ahead of the meeting here that the Palestinians had no interest in ...