CAIRO , November 15 (IslamOnline.net) – A new round of inter-Palestinian dialogue is to be held in Cairo early December with the ultimate aim of reaching an agreement on forming a unified leadership and a joint political program before the January 9 presidential election, Egyptian and Palestinian sources have said.

“Egypt and Palestinian factions reached a principal agreement on holding this round of dialogue on December 1,” well-placed Egyptian sources told IslamOnline.net Sunday, November 14.

The new round of dialogue is crucial in light of the current difficult situation following the death of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, the sources noted.

“The Palestinians only have less than 60 days to prove to the whole world that they are united,” the sources added.

The caretaker of the Palestinian Authority, speaker of the parliament Rawhi Fatouh, issued on Sunday a presidential decree setting January 9 as the date for the long-anticipated presidential election.

He said that the election campaign will begin on December 27 and continue until January 8, the last day before the elections.

Former premier Mahmmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen), who was appointed as the leader of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), and jailed West Bank Fatah leader Marwan Barghouthi are likely to succeed emblematic Arafat.

Secretary General of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) Naif Hawatma said he held talks with Egyptian officials to set stage for the new round of Palestinian dialogue in Cairo .

The first stage of dialogue would be separately held between Egyptian officials and the five major Palestinian factions, he said.

The major five factions invited to attend the talks are Fatah, Hamas and the Islamic Jihad along with the Popular and Democratic Fronts for the liberation of Palestine.

The dialogue will conclude with talks among representatives of Fatah, Hamas, Islamic Jihad and PLO under Abu Mazen along with Egyptian officials, Hawatma added.

The Palestinian factions have realized the importance of forming a unified leadership and a joint political program, Hawatma said.

“The new round of dialogue comes at the most difficult stage of history of the Palestinian cause as we only have 60 days to prove to the whole world that we deserve their support,” he noted.

“Following Arafat’s death, all Palestinian factions agreed that the alternative must be institutions formed on democratic elections joined by all Palestinian parities.”

Hawatma went on: “We have agreed with the Egyptian leadership, PLO chief Abu Mazen and Fatah leader Farouq Qaddumi that it is necessary to reach a comprehensive agreement on the issues of unified leadership and joint political program during this round of dialogue.”

Senior Egyptian officials had held key talks with Palestinian delegations attending Arafat’s funeral in Cairo, including delegations of Fatah, Hamas and DFLP, along with and Abu Mazen, the Egyptian sources said.

The talks dwelt on necessity to reach an agreement on forming a unified Palestinian leadership and a joint program to hold the elections within 60 days.