After meeting with visiting German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas said Monday that he would not resign despite the radical Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) defeated his Fatah party in the parliamentary election.

At a joint press conference with Merkel, Abbas told reporters that he would remain Palestinian National Authority (PNA) president until his mandate ends in 2009.

Abbas was elected president in succession to the late Yasser Arafat in January 2005.

Abbas' Fatah party suffered a bitter defeat in the parliamentary elections on Jan. 25, in which Hamas won 74 seats out of 132 while Fatah got only 45.

Abbas, meanwhile, told reporters that he would meet with leaders from Hamas in the next two weeks to discuss forming a new government. The meeting "may take place in not more than two weeks, " he said.

Earlier on Friday, Ismail Haniya, a senior Hamas leader in the Gaza Strip also said that he would meet Abbas in the next few days to discuss forming a "political partnership".

During his talks with Merkel on Monday, Abbas also urged the international community to continue to provide financial aid to the Palestinians in the wake of Hamas stunning victory.

The German powerful woman, however, urged that post-election Palestinian government must recognize Israel and renounce violence.

Merkel said before leaving for a two-day visit to the region that Germany would not hold talks with Hamas until it recognizes Israel's right to exist.

The EU would not fund the Palestinian National Authority involving Hamas if the militant group did not renounce commitment to the destruction of the Jewish state, she said.

Merkel came to Ramallah from Israel. Her 24-hour trip to Israel and the Palestinian territories makes her the first foreign leader to visit the region after Hamas sweeping victory in the Jan. 25 election.

Source: Xinhua