Abbas leaves Gaza after six days of truce talks

GAZA CITY, Jan 24 (AFP) - Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas left Gaza City on Monday for the West Bank after six days of talks with radical factions in a bid to persuade them to sign up to a truce, an official said.
After arriving in Gaza last Tuesday, Abbas said he would not leave until the factions had agreed to halt attacks against Israel. Despite hearty optimism, there has been no official announcement of any such truce.
"The Palestinian national dialogue has made very significant progress and we will reach an agreement concerning this ceasefire very soon," he said Sunday.
Representatives from factions such as Hamas and Islamic Jihad also said that their talks with Abbas took place in a positive atmosphere.
Both organisations have indicated a willingness to call a ceasefire if Israel ends its military activities and releases Palestinian prisoners.
Abbas is scheduled to visit Egypt via Jordan next week, a Palestinian official said.

01/24/2005 18:53 GMT - AFP