Damascus - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Monday met leaders of Palestinian factions based in Syria as part of a drive to end inter-factional divisions but snubbed leaders from the rival Palestinian militant group Hamas.

Abbas, on a two-day visit to Syria, discussed in a meeting with the head of the militant group Islamic Jihad, Abdullah Ramadan Shalah, ways to start a comprehensive dialogue among all Palestinian factions.

Shalah said after the talks that he conveyed to Abbas Hamas' readiness to start a dialogue aiming at ending a feud that led to the ousting of Abbas' supporters from the Gaza Strip after deadly clashes with Hamas militants in June 2007.

Hamas has held control over the Gaza Strip ever since, effectively splitting the Palestinian territories into two entities: the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

"We are not mediating (between Fatah and Hamas) but are driven by our sense of national responsibility to end the Palestinian rift," Shalah said.

Details about a prospective inter-Palestinian dialogue, he said, would have to be discussed away from the media spotlight.

Abbas also held separate meetings with the leader of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, Nayef Hawatmeh, and Maher al-Taher from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, both of which are secular factions.

"We told Abbas that Hamas was a main component of the Palestinian people and stressed the importance of reuniting Palestinian ranks irrespective of the differences between Hamas and Fatah," al-Taher told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa.

The official ruled out any prospective meeting between Abbas and Hamas political leader Khaled Mashaal.

"Disagreements (between both leaders) are still big and things seem difficult now," al-Taher said.

Faction leaders urged Abbas to suspend peace talks with Israel, saying they were pointless as long as the Israeli government continued its settlement policy and offensives against the Palestinians.

"We told Abbas that talks with Israel were not serving the Palestinian people in the current situation," al-Taher said.

Abbas heard the same view from Islamic Jihad leaders.

"We told Abbas that resistance was the option that we should pursue even with the presence of negotiations. We are convinced that negotiations are pointless," Shalah said.

Abbas will wrap up his visit to Syria on Tuesday. (dpa)