Hamas Leader Calls for Iran's Defence for Palestinians
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Chief of Hamas political bureau Khaled Meshaal (2nd L in the front) greets audience during a rally in Tehran University on February 2, 2009. A Palestinian Islamic Hamas movement delegation led by Khalid Mashaal arrived in Iran on Sunday. [Xinhua]
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Mashaal made the call while participating in Iran's Majlis (parliament) assembly, asking Iranian officials and lawmakers to keep their positions to defend Palestinians.
Calling on Europeans to revisit their positions, Mashaal said that "the Palestinian resistance is a reality... but still some intend to ignore us, we anticipate Europeans to change their position."
He also asked the new US government to seize the opportunities to change the situation and not to repeat the mistakes of the ex-US governments, saying that "if they change the path, we will also open new chapter to them, on the condition that they respect our rights."
Iran's Majlis speaker, on his part, expressed his gratitude to Mashaal's remarks, saying that "(Iran's) Majlis is earnestly keeping an eye on Palestine's issues."
Earlier on Monday, Mashaal also urged Iran to continue to support the Gazan people in their ongoing "battle" against Israel.
"We call on you to continue with the steps to support the people of Gaza, because the battle is not over," Meshaal told a rally in the Tehran University.
"We still have a battle, the battle of lifting the siege of Gaza, the opening of the border crossings," said Meshaal.
Mashaal arrived in Tehran on Sunday for talks with senior Iranian officials on major regional and international issues. The visit is a part of his regional tour that "previously took him to Egypt, Qatar, Syria and Turkey."
Iran never hesitated to pronounce its all-out support for Hamas during the three-week unprecedented Israeli military offensive on Gaza, during which about 1,400 Palestinians were killed and 5,500 others wounded.
(Xinhua News Agency February 4, 2009)