Sunday, January 23 2005 16:41 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Jerusalem: Radical militant group Hamas has disputed Israeli Defence Minister's claims that it has reached a ceasefire agreement with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, saying, "There will be no calm" until the aggression from the "occupation" is stopped.

"What Mofaz said was incorrect," Hamas leader Sami Abu Zuhri told reporters today (Jan 23, 2005), refuting the statements by Israeli Defence Minister Shaul Mofaz to Israel Radio.

"We reiterated that the movement has expressed its readiness to study the issue of calm seriously but there will be no calm without a price," Zuhri said.

"A calm will not be accepted unless there is a clear commitment from the occupation to stop all sorts of aggression," he said, referring to Israel.

Earlier reports had quoted Mofaz as saying that Hamas and Islamic Jihad had agreed to a conditional ceasefire for about a month after talks with Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas.

"As far as we understand, there is an agreement between (Abbas) and the heads of Hamas and Islamic Jihad for a ceasefire for a certain period about a month," Israel radio quoted him as saying.

Mofaz said the two militant factions agreed to the ceasefire in return for a future role in the Palestinian Authority, the radio reported.