Following two days of factional talks that apparently produced no resolution to the issues that continue to separate Fatah and Hamas, Palestinian Authority head Mahmoud ‘Abbas and Hamas leader Khaled Mashal arrived in Cairo on Wednesday evening and immediately plunged into one-on-one talks. Although a reconciliation agreement was announced last May, the key issues separating the factions remain unsolved and the Palestinian bifurcation remains the greatest requisite to statehood. Elections have been set for May, but so far there is no agreement on the makeup of the new unity government or on other issues such as control of the respective security forces. An agreement to re-start the Palestinian Legislative Council in February was reached before ‘Abbas and Mashal arrived, but there, too, logistics were scarce. Legislators based in the Gaza Strip are unable to travel to Ramallah in the West Bank to participate in the sessions. Before the Fatah-Hamas split, some sessions were held simultaneously in both areas and joined by teleconferencing. Agreement was also reached on forming an election commission to prepare for the May balloting. Some observers suggest that agreement by Fatah and Hamas to release each others’ prisoners would be a tangible signal of progress.