Algerian FM says Palestinian reconciliation process has begun

A process to reconcile the Palestinian factions has begun said Algerian Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra, whose country said last month that it would host the inter-Palestinian talks.

"The journey to Palestinian reconciliation has started and Algeria has a long experience in bringing the Palestinians together," he told a news conference in Kuwait on Monday.

Arab states including Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar have tried in vain to reconcile Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's nationalist Fatah faction and its bitter rival Hamas, the armed Islamist movement that opposes any negotiations with Israel. No Palestinian general elections have been held for 16 years.