Palestinian leaders vow to push ahead with Mecca talks until deal reached

(AP) In a palace overlooking Islam's holiest site, rival Palestinian leaders vowed Wednesday to work out a power-sharing agreement to avert a civil war, asking their followers to abide by a truce during the marathon talks crucial to the peace process with Israel.

But threats of new revenge attacks arose in Gaza after the killing of a Hamas activist _ underlining the danger of an explosion of factional fighting if the talks in Mecca fail.

"We will not leave this holy place until we have agreed on everything good, with God's blessing," Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said at an opening ceremony for the talks, sitting alongside his rival Khaled Mashaal, head of the militant group Hamas.

"I tell our people to expect good news, and I hope this (meeting) will not be mere words in the air," Abbas said at the ceremony, which was aired live on television across the Mideast.

Mashaal turned to Abbas and said they both had to tell their supporters to respect a truce reached Sunday, to which Abbas nodded his agreement.

"We want to give a message to the nation, and the world, to create a positive atmosphere for these talks," Mashaal said. "We came here to agree and we have no other option but to agree."

The talks were held in a palace overlooking the Kaaba, the cube-shaped shrine toward which all Muslims face when praying. Saudi television repeatedly moved from scenes of the ceremony to images of the Kaaba _ reflecting Saudi hopes that the venue will press the sides to resolve their differences.

Both sides sounded optimistic Wednesday night. Nabil Amr, a spokesman for Abbas, said he hoped to reach a deal on a coalition government within 48 hours. "We have finished the general talks and exchanges of views. Now we have started discussions over forming the Cabinet and its political program," he told the Associated Press.

"The atmosphere is positive. I expect to reach a deal on sharing power _ we have no alternative but to reach a deal," said Mohammed Nazal, of the Hamas delegation. The talks were to continue through the night.

The gathering is a high-stakes bid by Saudi Arabia to end bloodshed between Palestinians that has killed dozens in recent months. Saudi Arabia wants the Palestinians to reach a deal on a coalition government not only to end the bloodshed but also so that the long-stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace process can resume _ something the kingdom believes is vital to reducing tensions across the Mideast.

In two rounds of talks between Abbas and Mashaal on Wednesday, Saudi King Abdullah and Saudi officials did not participate. Abdullah hosted a lunch in which the two leaders sat on either side of the monarch.

Abbas aides said they may need more direct intervention from Abdullah _ a sign of how difficult the few final obstacles to a deal may be to overcome. "We asked him to intervene because he has the respect of the two parties," Amr told the AP.

In Gaza, Hamas militants warned of new violence unless Fatah officers they accuse of being behind an attack on an Islamic university are handed over. Hamas also accused Fatah of killing one of its members Tuesday _ though the shooting may have part of the clan warfare that has overlapped the political battles.

The goal of the Mecca talks is to form a coalition government that includes Hamas _ which swept Palestinian elections a year ago _ yet still recognizes previous peace agreements with Israel. Hamas has long refused to recognize Israel and the past peace accords signed by the PLO, of which Fatah is the major member. Talks have also stalled over the issue of who would control security forces in any new Palestinian government.

Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said Wednesday that her country would not accept a Palestinian government that does not explicitly renounce violence and accept the right of Israel to exist. Her comments raise the question whether any coalition government that comes out of Mecca will be accepted by Israel, which has refused to talk to the Hamas-led government, though it has held talks with Abbas, a moderate who was elected separately in 2005.

Fatah officials have said Abbas has underlined to the United States _ Israel's top ally _ the need for flexibility about a new government. He is trying to get Hamas to sign onto a government program in which the militant group would "commit" to previous peace deals between Israel and the Palestinians _ implying recognition of Israel and a renunciation of violence.

But so far, Hamas has insisted on weaker terminology by which it would "respect" previous deals. Part of the deadlock centers on that language.

Hamas worries about giving up its tough stance in Mecca _ then failing to reach Palestinian goals in any future talks with Israel, which would hurt its credibility among Palestinians.

"Who can guarantee that we will not be making a mistake if we give concessions?" Nazal said. "Will we get an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital?"

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AP writer Salah Nasrawi in Cairo contributed to this report.