Cairo - Former US president Jimmy Carter held on Thursday talks with officials of the Palestinian Islamic movement Hamas, aiming to end the international isolation of the group, Hamas sources said.

Carter held talks with Egyptian officials in a closed meeting in a hotel in Cairo, then met with Hamas officials for another round of talks.

Hamas sources told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa that Carter requested to meet with Hamas officials in the Gaza Strip four days ago, but Israel did not allow him the visit.

Carter declined to comment on whether his talks with Hamas an attempt to mediate between the movement and the US administration.

After rounding up his one-day trip in Egypt, Carter is to head to Syria, where he plans to meet with senior Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. (dpa)