Landmark talks between a broad range of Palestinian factions are expected to go ahead in Egypt tomorrow following a last-minute dispute over who would attend.
Chances of agreement to an Egyptian proposal for stopping attacks on Israel look slim however, with some factions objecting to the plan while the possibility of a war on Iraq exists.
The talks will be the first face-to-face talks with such a broad spectrum of groups, ranging from President Yasser Arafat's mainstream Fatah to Marxist and Islamist groups.
The meeting almost fell at the first hurdle, when two key Islamic militant groups, Hamas and Islamic Jihad, yesterday said they would not attend because not all factions had been invited. They later backtracked, saying a deal had been reached.
Palestinian officials from various parties said the talks involving about 10 factions would now take place tomorrow. An Egyptian government source had said he expected a delay until then, but said the last-minute dispute was resolved.
The talks themselves are likely to prove tougher still, but analysts say simply bringing the parties together would be an achievement itself and could launch a dialogue that would help hammer out a unified policy for the future.
The analysts say the meeting, which has Washington's blessing even though it includes groups the US calls "terrorists", seeks to calm one regional conflict amid fears an Iraq war could trigger instability across the Middle East.
A draft accord to be discussed at the Cairo talks outlines a one-year ceasefire with Israel but upholds the right to "resist" occupation and retain Arafat as leader. But only Fatah has endorsed the truce proposal so far.