Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas and Hamas chief Khaled Meshaal meet in the Egyptian capital Cairo in a bid to cement a reconciliation deal

Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas and Hamas chief Khaled Meshaal meet in the Egyptian capital Cairo on Thursday in a bid to cement a reconciliation deal that has stalled for more than six months.
  
After a summer of skepticism over prospects for a real rapprochement between Abbas's secular Fatah movement and its Islamist rival Hamas, a new optimism has emerged in recent weeks. "President Abbas intends to deploy all possible efforts to reach a global Palestinian agreement and reach an understanding on a common political vision for all the movements," senior Fatah official Azzam al-Ahmed told AFP in Cairo on Wednesday.
  
Hamas officials expressed similar sentiments about the talks, which are to begin at 11:00 am (0900 GMT). "We want this meeting to open a new page and a new hope for the Palestinian people," Hamas deputy head Mussa Abu Marzuk told AFP on arrival in the Egyptian capital.
  
Izzat al-Rishq, another of the group's Damascus-based leadership, said the talks "will start with a face-to-face meeting between Abbas and Meshaal which will last about two hours".
  
On the agenda are key issues including the adoption of a unified Palestinian strategy, forming an interim government, reform of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and agreeing on a date for elections.