Local Editor

Hamas re-elected its leader Khaled Meshaal in Cairo, an official of the Palestinian Resistance movement said.

"The leaders of Hamas chose Meshaal," the high-ranking official told Agence France Presse via telephone from the Egyptian capital, requesting anonymity.
Hamas officials said earlier in the day that the party's governing shura council was poised to re-elect him for a four-year term.
Mashaal had indicated previously he would not seek another term, but officials clarified that Arab and Palestinian figures asked him to seek the top spot once again.

Earlier, Mashaal downplayed the idea he would represent Hamas to run for the Palestinian presidency, but he said heading the PLO was a possibility.

Hamas "hasn't made its final decision regarding the presidency. If Hamas nominated me to head the PLO, this is Hamas' natural right. But we're not going to fight for the presidency," he said.

Hamas officials were in Cairo on Sunday and Monday to elect a new political office chief, and to discuss with Egyptian leaders reconciliation with the Fatah faction of Acting Palestinian Authority chief Mahmoud Abbas.

In 2011, Palestinian factions of Fatah and Hamas signed a reconciliation accord to form a transitional unity government, which was supposed to pave the way for legislative elections before the end of May 2012. However, the process failed and is yet to be implemented.

On January 17 in Cairo, the two rival Palestinian factions agreed to revive consultations over the unity deal by the end of the month.
In 2004, Meshaal succeeded Hamas's founder, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, after the martyr was assassinated by "Israel" during a second Palestinian revolt against the Zionist entity.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by moqawama.org