LONDON, February 27 (IranMania) - Former Iranian president Mohammad Khatami said that as long as threats are posed against Lebanon and its territory remains occupied, resistance should continue, IRNA reported.

Speaking to al-Jazeera Television in an exclusive interview on Saturday evening, he said that the recent regional developments following the victory of the Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, were not unexpected.

Khatami added that Hamas would have gained the majority votes, if it had participated in the elections earlier.

Turning to the outcome of a poll in Gaza Strip and the West Bank 4-5 years ago, in which more than 70% of the participants had declared their support for Hamas.

"The measures taken by Hamas towards democracy are considered to be a positive development in the Middle East only if such a reality is accepted by Israel, the US and others," he added.

The former president noted that it is no more possible to stand against the will of nations, adding, "How long do they intend to erase the name of a nation from the scene, keep millions of people wandering in foreign lands and not letting them return to their homeland?"

He noted that peace will merely be materialized through recognizing the rights of Palestinian people and respecting the will of this nation.

"What took place in Palestinian election serves as a warning to others. Several peace plans have so far been proposed for the Middle East region, but neither has managed to materialize peace mainly due to being unrealistic and being drawn up without taking into view justice," he said.

Khatami believes that if Palestine as a nation and country, the holy Qods as its capital and the right of Palestinian refugees for returning to their homeland is recognized officially, stability will be established in the region.

Urging the need to support Hamas, he said, "Now that Hamas is under economic pressure, all Islamic states are bound to help this movement respond to the demands of its nation.

"Such supports should be associated with financial aid, while Islamic oil-rich countries can allocate 1-2 percent of their oil revenue to the cause to alleviate the current economic burdens upon the Palestinian people," he said.

In response to a question about the fear and concern of the Persian Gulf states about Iran, Khatami said that once ties are based on understanding and reason and it is accepted that a common path should be pursued, there will be no cause for concern.

"During my presidential term, a great part of misunderstandings were removed. Besides, a number of security agreements were inked with the important countries of the Persian Gulf region.

"Those not tolerating security in the region promote worries among the regional countries. The rumor about gas leak from Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant and the risk facing the region is one such example, while we have never injected gas into this not-yet-completed power plant," he said.

In reply to another question whether the motto of `dialogue among civilizations' is still on the agenda despite the recent international developments, he said that unfortunately, those in office are against it and are merely preoccupied with force, authority and violence.

"On the other hand, we are witnessing occupation, violence and terrorism throughout the world," added Khatami.

He noted that insecurity spread across the world inflames the lives of the entire humanity. The insecurity currently witnessed in Iraq, Afghanistan, the occupied lands and African countries are not merely limited to those areas.

"Rather we have recently been witness to such events even in France, Geneva and other areas," concluded Khatami.