Hamas officials met Egypt's intelligence chief Omar Suleiman on Saturday to try to set a new date for the signing of a Palestinian unity agreement, a member of the delegation said. "We have met General Omar Suleiman" but the results of the talks in Cairo will be announced later, Mohammed Nasr told AFP. A sources in Hamas said Egypt "is understanding" the reasons for the request to delay the signing. However, another Hamas official, Ezzat al-Rashq, told Al-Jazeera television that the movement could "not shake hands with (Palestinian leader Mahmud) Abbas at this point in time" to seal an Egyptian-mediated deal.

He called first for an apology from Abbas over the Goldstone report on the Gaza war last December-January.

The Hamas team led by Mussa Abu Marzuk travelled to Cairo to request "a new, appropriate date for the new session of inter-Palestinian dialogue," a Hamas spokesperson in Gaza told AFP earlier. "The atmosphere is not right for the signing of an accord," he added.

The postponement was asked because of the recent decision by the Palestinian delegation at the UN Human Rights Council to drop its backing for an immediate vote on a damning report on the Gaza war, the Hamas source said.

© 2009 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)