A Hamas spokesman confirmed Tuesday that meetings have been held in Gaza between French diplomats and officials from the Islamist movement, reported dpa.
"We cannot reveal the place and the date of the meetings but they are confirmed," Taher al-Noono, a spokesman for the deposed Hamas government in de facto control of the Gaza Strip, said.
"There were meetings with French officials and discussions on the political situation, the necessity of the international community's respecting of the results of the democratic process which took place in Palestine," he said.
French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner revealed Monday that France has held what he defined as "not relations, but contacts" with Hamas.
The talks were between a retired high-ranking French diplomat named Yves Aubin de La Messuziere and senior Hamas leaders Mahmoud al-Zahar and Ismail Haniya.
La Messuziere said he was told that Hamas was prepared to accept a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders, "which was equivalent to an indirect recognition of Israel."
Al-Noono said the Hamas officials told the French that Hamas "has accepted the National Accordance Document which clearly talks about establishing a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders."
But, he added, "this does not mean giving up any part of Palestine or recognizing Israel. This is a clear position."
Europe, the United States and Israel list Hamas, whose military wing has carried out hundreds of attacks on Israelis, as a terrorist organization.
In addition, Western countries have instituted a political boycott of the organization since it won the Palestinian elections in 2006 and rejected calls to renounce violence, honour previous Israeli- Palestinian agreements and accept Israel's right to exist.