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The leader of Hamas has called for Palestinian reconciliation before elections, saying unless his movement is accepted by its rival Fatah, democracy will not lead to unity.
Khaled Meshaal, who lives in exile in the Syrian capital, Damascus, was speaking in Egypt on Sunday where progress on the exchange of prisoners with Israel was also discussed.
"No presidential or parliamentary elections can be carried out without harmony and reconciliation," Meshaal said in the Egyptian capital, Cairo.
"We dismiss any suggestions that the elections will be carried out on the status quo where Gaza will be ruled out and the elections will be carried out in the West Bank... We warn of any hasty decisions of the proposals made by Israel and the US."
Hamas won elections in January 2006 but was shunned by the world powers, worsening a power struggle between the Palestinian factions.
Meshaal said his group welcomed the "new tone of language" from Barack Obama, the US president, but he stressed that "we'll put this to test by deeds, not by words".
His comments came as Israel authorized hundreds of new settler homes in the occupied West Bank in the face of a construction freeze demanded by the US.
Meshaal said "occupation must come to an end" and called for "withdrawal [of Israel] to 1967 borders".
"Our rights of self-independence and self-rule must be recognized," he said.
Warning
He warned against Israel's proposal to temporarily halt construction in exchange for normalization with Arab countries, describing it as "dangerous".
On the question of a prisoner exchange, Meshaal said: "There has been a development with the German mediation taking place with the knowledge of Egypt and in coordination with us.
"We are still in the beginning; we haven't yet gotten into details or discussing the names, there is a still not a short path to go, which requires patience."
Egypt and Germany have been trying to broker the release of an Israeli soldier held by Hamas, in exchange for hundreds of Palestinians held in Israel's jails.
Gilad Shalit was captured by Hamas during a border raid in 2006.
PHOTO CAPTION
Amr Moussa Secretary general of the Arab League, right, talks to Khaled Meshaal, the Hamas leader, as they conduct their talks in Cairo Egypt, Sunday, Sept. 6, 2009
Al-Jazeera
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