Brothers to mediate between Fatah,Hamas

An aide to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas says the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt may mediate between his Fatah party and their rival, Hamas, in talks aimed at restoring Palestinian unity.

Nabil Sha'ath, a member of the Palestinian Legislative Council and an advisor to Abbas, told the London-based Ash-Sharq Al-Awsat newspaper that he met with one of the Muslim Brotherhood's spiritual leaders, Muhammad Habib, and the group's Secretary General, Mahmoud Izzat.

It was Sha'ath's first meeting with the Brotherhood since he became a representative of the Palestinian president.

"I explained the situation between Fatah and Hamas, and they understood that situation, expressing their will to intervene," Sha'ath said, adding that he asked the Brotherhood to "play a positive role" by not favoring either side in the ongoing splint within Palestinian society.

Muhammad Habib said the meeting addressed the repercussions of the current crisis in the Palestinian territories inside Palestine and throughout the Arab world.