Rival Palestinian factions sign deal in Cairo

RAMALLAH - Delegations from rival Palestinian factions signed a deal in Cairo Sunday, allowing President Mahmoud Abbas to go on and form an interim government.

Azzam Al-Ahmad, an official from Abbas' Fatah party said that the agreement allows the Central Elections Commission (CEC) to operate in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip before the end of May.

The new deal allows both factions to implement a previous agreement that Qatar brokered in Doha in February, said Ahmad on phone from Cairo.

The "Doha declaration" envisions an interim government headed by Abbas, whose tasks include preparing for the elections.

Abbas has said he would refuse to form the government until Hamas allowed the CEC to operate in Gaza, an enclave he lost after Hamas routed his forces in 2007. Since then, Abbas' rule has been confined to the West Bank.

By this deal, the Palestinian rivals have overcome a key obstacle on the way of ending their political split.