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Tehran: Hamas leader Khalid Mesha'al extracted from Iran yesterday a pledge to fund his radical Palestinian movement to compensate for the West's financial blockade of the Palestinian government.
Mesha'al, who arrived in Iran early yesterday, told a press conference with Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki that Iran had been giving financial and political support to the Palestinians, whose government has been cut off from Western aid since Hamas took office in March last year.
"We still look forward to get support [from Iran] to break the political and economic sanctions," Mesha'al said.
Mottaki told reporters that Iran would continue to provide money to Hamas, but he did not give any figures.
The major aid donors to the Palestinian National Authority - the United States, the European Union and Canada - cut off aid because Hamas has refused to renounce violence and recognise Israel and the previous agreements signed between Israel and the Palestinians.
Last month, Mesha'al and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas signed a Saudi-brokered agreement in Makkah under which they would form a coalition government and Hamas promised to 'respect' the previous agreements.
The United States and others are waiting for the coalition to be formed before declaring whether the Makkah agreement warrants a resumption of aid.
At yesterday's press conference, Mesha'al was asked if Hamas had now recognised Israel.
The Hamas leader did not answer directly, but said: "The Palestinian government insists on June 4, 1967 borders [for Israel], full Palestinian sovereignty with [occupied] Jerusalem as its capital."
He was referring to the borders of the Israeli state before the 1967 war, which broke out on June 5 that year. Mottaki said his government backed the Makkah accord.
"Iran supports this initiative, and it also supports any step toward achieving greater unity among Palestinians," the foreign minister said.
Mesha'al met President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad yesterday and was expected to meet the country's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei before he leaves the country.
During the meeting, Ahmadinejad urged Mesha'al to keep fighting Israel, state television said.
"The [Palestinian] government should use its brave and pious forces to continue resistance against the Zionist regime [Israel]", Ahmadinejad told Mesha'al at the start of his two-day visit to Iran, state television reported.
Iran refuses to recognise Israel and Ahmadinejad has called the Israeli state a "tumour" which must be "wiped off the map".
Iran's support for the Palestinians has grown more vocal since Ahmadinejad came to power in August 2005.
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert plans to meet Abbas as early as Sunday, before the unity government is formed, Israeli officials said yesterday.
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