Arab League (AL) Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit has revealed that observers from the AL will be sent to monitor the electoral process in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
His remarks came after a meeting with the Secretary-General of the Central Committee of Fatah Movement, Jibril Rajoub, at the Arab League's headquarters in Cairo.
Aboul Gheit welcomed the reconciliation reached among rival Palestinian factions following their two-day dialogue in Egypt's capital Cairo.
"The dialogue achieved the required consensus to pave the way for holding the upcoming legislative and presidential elections in a positive atmosphere," the AL secretary-general said.
He praised the decision made by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to hold the elections, urging Palestinian factions not to miss this chance.
"Elections represent an important step for renewing the Palestinian legitimacy," Aboul Gheit noted, calling on the international community to make every effort to ensure the elections will be held in all the occupied Palestinian territories.
A reliable source from the Arab League’s General Secretariat conveyed Aboul Gheit’s affirmation that the AL will support Palestine in this delicate political phase.
Aboul Gheit and Rajoub exchanged points of view on how to build on Cairo’s meeting, which showed a will by the Arab countries to back the Palestinian standpoint, the source added.
The Palestinian factions agreed on Tuesday on steps aimed at ensuring Palestinian elections are held as planned later this year and pledged to respect their results, a joint statement said.
They pledged "to abide by the timetable" for balloting and "respect and accept" the results.
At the Cairo talks, the groups agreed on the formation of an "election court" based on a national consensus among judges from Jerusalem, the West Bank, and Gaza.
"The court shall be exclusively responsible, not any other judicial body, to follow what is related to the electoral process, its results, and the stuck cases," the statement read.
