Palestinians agree to hold elections ‘quickly'

Rival Palestinian factions Hamas and Fatah agreed at a meeting in the Qatari capital on Sunday that presidential and legislative elections must be held “quickly”, a top official told AFP. Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas chief Khaled Meshaal met to explore the formation of an interim Palestinian government to oversee the preparations for the polls and discuss the implementation of a reconciliation deal. “We agreed on the importance of holding the elections quickly,” said Fatah spokesman Azzam al-Ahmad.