GAZA CITY: A delegation from Islamic Jihad, the radical Palestinian faction behind the last eight anti-Israeli suicide attacks, is in Cairo for talks with Egyptian officials, Jihad sources said on Tuesday. A delegation arrived last night in Cairo from Damascus (where many Jihad leaders are based) to meet Egyptian officials, Khaled Al-Batsch, one of Jihad s most senior figures in the Gaza Strip, told AFP without giving further details. Another Jihad official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that the delegation was led by the movement s deputy general secretary Ziad Nakhala. The visit intends to improve relations between Jihad and Egypt and unite Palestinian and Arab efforts on the Palestinian problem, the source said.
Egypt has often served as a mediator in the Israel-Palestinian conflict and hosted talks last year which led to a truce agreement which all the armed factions signed up to except Jihad. AFP
