Gaza's Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh left the coastal strip on Sunday on his first trip abroad since his militant Hamas movement seized power in June 2007, hoping to improve ties with Muslim countries swept up in the uprisings convulsing the Arab world. Haniyeh's deputy, Mohammed Awwad, said the Gaza leader would visit Egypt, Sudan, Qatar, Bahrain, Tunisia and Turkey. Awwad said Haniyeh would discuss possible Palestinian development projects as well as progress toward reconciling the dueling governments of the two Palestinian territories - Hamas in Gaza and the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank - and Israeli construction in Jerusalem. "We hope that with this visit we can turn a new page in Palestinian-Arab relations," he said before Haniyeh left for neighboring Egypt through Gaza's Rafah crossing. Before crossing into Egypt, Haniyeh told reporters "the Arab Spring has opened a wide horizon for us, and we must take advantage to promote the interests of our people. His departure was confirmed by border official Maher Abu Sabha. Awwad said the Gaza prime minister would meet with leaders of the Arab uprising as well as state officials. Haniyeh plans to be abroad for at least two weeks and possibly more if he receives invitations to visit additional Muslim countries, Awwad said. Haniyeh had been confined to Gaza since 2007, when his Hamas movement violently routed the rival Fatah from the territory, leaving Fatah to hold sway only in the West Bank. Tensions between Hamas and Egypt, as well as armed confrontations with Israel, have also kept Haniyeh from leaving the strip. But Egypt's new rulers have warmed up to Hamas since longtime President Hosni Mubarak was toppled in February. Haniyeh embarked on his tour just as Hamas and Fatah were approaching reconciliation, which has eluded them since the brief civil war of 2007. Last week, following a meeting in Cairo attended by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah and Hamas political bureau chief Khaled Mashaal, it was reported that Hamas agreed to join the Western-backed Palestine Liberation Organization, of which Fatah is the largest faction.
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