Hamas leader Khaled Mish'al said Monday that he was prepared to meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at “any time and place” to sign the reconciliation agreement drawn up through Egyptian-led talks. Speaking at a meeting with the Secretary General of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, at the OIC's headquarters in Jeddah, Mish'al said that Hamas had a “few main observations” on the Egyptian reconciliation document which he hoped would “be taken into consideration.” “The Egyptian political role is fundamental and essential in this framework, but I hope that it can be signed in front of a significant Arab presence,” Mish'al said. “I am ready to meet anywhere and any time to sign the agreement and put an end to Palestinian division despite the difference in political views with Fatah,” he said. Mish'al further called for Cairo to cease construction of the steel barrier at the border with Gaza and said that Iranian support for Palestinians was out of duty as a Muslim nation, and that Hamas required “Arab and Islamic support for the Palestinian Cause.” On delays in the prisoner exchange deal with Israel, Mish'al accused the government of the occupation of holding up the process. Ihsanoglu, meanwhile, denied that the organization had not given Palestine the required attention. “The organization has been and still is at the forefront of supporters of Palestine and in supplying humanitarian aid,” Ihsanoglu said.
