Welcomes Qatari initiative. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
צילום: רויטרס
Ahmadinejad backs Qatar on Palestinian mediation
Iranian president quoted as telling Qatari leader that Tehran welcomes Arab emirate's initiative for resolution of regional problems
Iran's official news agency says President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad supports Qatar's role in settling disputes - a statement seen as a reference to the idea that Doha mediate between rival Palestinian groups.
The statement comes after Iran's state-owned Press TV reported on Sunday that Qatar is seeking to mediate between the Iranian-backed Hamas and rival Fatah.
The idea has floated around after Qatar earlier this year got feuding Lebanese - the Iranian-backed Hizbullah and its pro-Western rivals - to compromise on a unity government and end weeks of violence in Lebanon.
IRNA's report on Thursday quoted Ahmadinejad as telling the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani, that Tehran "welcomes an initiative by Qatar for the resolution of regional problems."
So far, Egypt has been the Mideast powerhouse to mediate in Palestinian disputes.
