Cairo  - Rival Palestinian factions Hamas and Fatah held talks in Cairo on Wednesday ahead of broader Palestinian national unity talks scheduled for Thursday.

Hamas politburo member Ezzat al-Rishq described the atmosphere in the talks as "positive and promising" in remarks aired by the Arabic satellite broadcaster al-Jazeera.

Senior Fatah negotiator Nabil Shaath used almost identical language to describe the talks, saying that Hamas and Fatah had agreed to stop speaking ill of each other in the news media in order to foster "a positive atmosphere" ahead of the talks.

Thursday's Palestinian reconciliation conference will bring together more than 10 Palestinian factions in Cairo with the aim of establishing a unified Palestinian national government.

As a sign of goodwill ahead of Thursday's talks, the Fatah-controlled Palestinian National Authority in the West Bank on Wednesday released 40 Hamas prisoners.

Fatah's Shaath said that an additional 20 prisoners would be released, Cairo's official Middle East News Agency reported.

A Fatah official told the Palestinian Ramattan news agency that the prisoners had been freed because their sentences had ended.

Fatah has repeatedly denied Hamas allegations that it holds Hamas members captive for political purposes.

Wednesday's meeting followed a similar meeting Tuesday night between a Fatah delegation chaired by senior negotiator Ahmed Qurei and deputy Hamas politburo chief Moussa Abu Marzouq. (dpa)