The Palestinian Fatah movement kicked off its sixth general conference in the West Bank city of Bethlehem on Aug. 4 to vote on the party's leadership, the first in 20 years and the first on Palestinian soil. The conference officially announced the new central committee, which is made up of 19 Fatah members. Abbas, who was named to succeed the late Yasser Arafat as head of the party in 2004, was elected on Aug. 8 in an unopposed race to serve as party chief.
Davutoğlu, speaking with Abbas, highlighted the importance attached to reconciliation between the rival Fatah and Hamas movements and reiterated Turkey's readiness to offer assistance in reaching such a reconciliation. A national reconciliation in Palestine will also be helpful for achieving regional peace, Davutoğlu told Abbas, expressing a wish to meet with him in Ramallah as soon as possible.
Prior to the conference, Fatah appealed to Turkey, Russia and Egypt to mediate with rival Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, so that the radical group would allow about 400 Fatah officials residing in Gaza to attend the conference in the West Bank. A Fatah spokesman said later that Turkey was among the countries that helped the group hold its conference. Hamas leaders had earlier said Fatah members could leave Gaza and join the conference only if Abbas' security forces released around 900 Hamas members imprisoned in West Bank jails.
