Talks to reconcile differences between feuding Palestinian factions
could fall apart if Egyptian mediators refuse to consider input from
the factions, a source close to the negotiations said Wednesday.

"Egypt told the Palestinian factions that it would not consider the
comments and amendments made by the factions on the draft submitted by
Cairo," said Khaled Abdel Meguid, secretary of the follow-up committee
of a national meeting of Palestinians.

The talks, scheduled to run from November 10-11, are designed to
seek peace between the Islamic group Hamas, which has de facto control
of the Gaza Strip, and the Fatah-led Palestinian Authority, which runs
the West Bank. Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak is to officiate at the
meeting.

"Cairo's refusal to consider the amendments threaten the
possibility of holding the conference. The leaders of the Palestinian
factions are re-examining their positions again," Abdel Meguid told
Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa.

"The factions will determine their final positions towards the
Egyptian call in the next few days," added Abdel Meguid, pointing out
that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas - who heads the secular Fatah
movement - will chair the meetings of the Palestinian national
dialogue.

Egypt has been brokering national reconciliation talks between all
Palestinian factions for months. The Egyptian draft, which all factions
received last week, calls for reforming the Palestinian security
services, which is divided between the factions, and forming a new
national unity government.

One of the main missions will be ending the months-long siege of
the Gaza Strip, which Hamas seized control of in June 2007. The strip
has endured international isolation and economic sanctions ever since.