Hamas: Abbas has no reason to quit

Damascus: Hamas leader Khalid Mesha'al on Sunday said there was no reason for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to quit and said that a chance to reach an understanding remained possible.

Abbas, also known as Abu Mazen, favours peacemaking with Israel. He said in comments published on Saturday that he would quit if Hamas didn't change its ways.

"There is a real chance for dealing with Abu Mazen, and there is no need for such threats to quit," Mesha'al told reporters in Damascus, referring to Abbas's warning.

Mesha'al said the Palestinians can reach an understanding for the benefit of the Palestinian people.

"We respect the [Palestinian National] Authority and we are keen to cooperate and deal with Abu Mazen, but not if one party imposes its conditions on the other," he said.

He made the comments after a meeting in Damascus with Sudanese presidential adviser Mustafa Osman Esmail.

He played down statements made by Palestinian Prime Minister-designate Esmail Haniya in which he said Hamas would establish "peace in stages," based on a a long-term truce, if Israel withdrew to the borders it held before the 1967 Mideast war.

"All statements of Hamas leaders do not imply a recognition of Israel," Mesha'al said.

He added: "The ball is now in the Israeli court and Israel should recognise the national Palestinian rights and withdraw from occupied territories. Then, Hamas and the Palestinian people will decide on their stands."

Mesha'al, who was recently on a tour that included Egypt, Qatar, Sudan, Turkey and Iran, said he would soon visit Saudi Arabia, which he described as "the main supporter of the Palestinian people."

He added that the visit to the kingdom was important "to gain Arab and Islamic support for the Palestinian people and its new government."