In a palace overlooking Islam's holiest site, rival Palestinian leaders vowed Wednesday to work out a power-sharing agreement to avert a civil war, asking their followers to abide by a truce during the marathon talks crucial to the peace process with Israel. But threats of new revenge attacks arose in Gaza after the killing of a Hamas activist -- underlining the danger of an explosion of factional fighting if the talks in Mecca fail. "We will not leave this holy place until we have agreed on everything good, with God's blessing," Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said at an opening ceremony for the talks, sitting alongside his rival Khaled Mashaal, head of the militant group Hamas. "I tell our people to expect good news, and I hope this (meeting) will not be mere words in the air," Abbas said at the ceremony, which was aired live on television across the Mideast.
Mashaal turned to Abbas and said they both had to tell their supporters to respect a truce reached Sunday, to which Abbas nodded his agreement. "We want to give a message to the nation, and the world, to create a positive atmosphere for these talks," Mashaal said. "We came here to agree and we have no other option but to agree."
The talks were held in a palace overlooking the Kaaba, the cube-shaped shrine toward which all Muslims face when praying. Saudi television repeatedly moved from scenes of the ceremony to images of the Kaaba -- reflecting Saudi hopes that the venue will press the sides to resolve their differences.
Both sides sounded optimistic Wednesday night. Nabil Amr, a spokesman for Abbas, said he hoped to reach a deal on a coalition government within 48 hours. "We have finished the general talks and exchanges of views. Now we have started discussions over forming the Cabinet and its political program," he told the Associated Press. "The atmosphere is positive. I expect to reach a deal on sharing power -- we have no alternative but to reach a deal," said Mohammed Nazal, of the Hamas delegation. The talks were to continue through the night.