Ramallah - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has issued orders to release "all" Hamas prisoners in the West Bank, including those held on security charges, a senior aide told the Doha-based al- Jazeera channel from Ramallah.

The aide, Azzam Ahmed, the head of the parliamentary bloc of Abbas' Fatah party charged with holding reconciliation talks with the rival Hamas movement ruling Gaza, said the release would get underway in the coming days.

The Palestinian Ma'an news agency, however, quoted sources close to Abbas as saying Hamas prisoners would only be released on the "condition they do not pose a threat to general security and law and order."

Abbas had issued orders to re-evaluate the files of all Hamas prisoners in the West Bank and to release those who met this condition, they said.

The president's office in Ramallah was not immediately available for comment on the reports, as Abbas was away touring Middle Eastern capitals. (dpa)