The Palestinian militant group, Hamas which won last month's parliamentary elections and is due to form government, must renounce violence if it is to be recognized, Ugandan Foreign Minister Sam Kutesa has said.

"We would like them to renounce terrorism. We do not support anybody who says any other nation should be obliterated. We support the existence of both Palestine and Israel, living side by side peacefully," Kutesa was quoted by local media as saying on Saturday.

The minister said that Uganda joins the U.S., Egypt and the Palestinian leader, Mohamoud Abbas, in urging Hamas to renounce violence and recognize Israel if it wants to form the next government.

In the elections, Hamas won 74 out of the 132 parliamentary seats, defeating the divided Fatah party of Abbas, which won 45 seats. Other secular parties won 13 seats.

Kutesa said that Uganda supported the creation of a Palestinian state.

"We don't support their terrorist activities, or Israel's occupation of Palestine," he added.

Source: Xinhua