Abbas delegation holds talks in Cairo on Gaza

RAMALLAH, West Bank, July 9 (Reuters) A delegation representing Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas met Egyptian officials in Cairo today to discuss the takeover of Gaza by the Islamist group Hamas, officials said.

Representatives from Abbas's secular Fatah faction, including former Prime Minister Ahmed Qurie, met Egyptian officials for talks about Egypt's position on Hamas's seizure of the coastal strip, a Palestinian official said.

An Arab diplomat said the meeting was a follow-up to talks held on June 25 between Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh.

Abbas sacked a Hamas-led government and formed his own emergency administration in the West Bank after Hamas routed Fatah forces in Gaza last month.

Reuters SZ SBA VP0152