Egypt holds talks with Qatar, Turkey, and Hamas over Gaza

REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, CAIRO - Egypt's president hold four-way talks with the Qatari emir, the prime minister of Turkey and Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal in Cairo on Saturday to discuss the Gaza crisis, a presidential source said. While Alahram quoted a source from Palestine who revealed that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas might also be meeting with Morsi.

"Egypt's presidency will meet today with (exiled Hamas leader Khaled) Meshaal, Qatari Emir Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani and Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan to discuss the situation in Gaza," the presidential source told Reuters. He said it would be a meeting of all four leaders.

Egypt has been working to reinstate a truce between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas in Gaza, after an informal truce brokered by Cairo in October finally broke down.

Erdogan, who arrived in Egypt earlier on Saturday, has been an outspoken critic of Israel, while Qatar's emir visited Gaza in October, breaking the isolation of the Palestinian group.

A source told Ahram Online that the meetings are expected to form a committee that will closely follow developments in Gaza. Furthermore, some of the leaders are expected to hold other meetings in Cairo.

Meshal is scheduled to meet with the head of the General Intelligence Raafat Shehata. Meanwhile, Erdogan will give a speech at Cairo University.

Israel launched a massive air campaign on Wednesday with the declared aim of deterring Hamas from launching cross-border rocket salvoes that have plagued southern Israel for years.

Arab foreign minister to meet

Arab foreign ministers will consider on Saturday a draft statement that calls for the Arab League chief to lead a delegation to Gaza and voices support for Egypt's efforts to negotiate a truce, an Arab diplomatic source said.

The ministerial meeting was called shortly after Israel launched a massive air campaign on Wednesday with the declared aim of deterring Hamas in Gaza from launching cross-border rocket salvoes that have plagued southern Israel for years.

On Saturday, Israeli aircraft bombed Hamas government buildings in the Palestinian territory, after Israel's cabinet authorised the mobilisation of up to 75,000 reservists, preparing for a possible ground invasion.