NEW YORK (IRNA) -- Iranian Embassy in Canada, in a statement, denied claims made by Egyptian officials and printed in a Canadian daily regarding Iran's alleged support for Hamas on taking over the Gaza Strip.

Some segments of the Canadian press, particularly the 'Ottawa Citizen', in their June 22nd editions, quoting Egyptian officials, carried headline "Blame Iran for takeover of Gaza: Egypt" in which the Egyptian foreign minister was quoted as saying, "Iranian action is a threat against their national security and the Iranian support of Hamas for the takeover of Gaza is a threat against the Arab unity and the cause of division in the Arab world." This misinformation and the publication of such baseless news have political objectives aimed at the distracting the public opinion and running away from the truth, the statement added. The Islamic Republic of Iran has been known as an honest backer of the cause of the innocent Palestinian people. It has always supported and continues to support the unity of various groups, it said. The Islamic Republic of Iran believes that any internal tension and confrontation in Palestine will provide the necessary opportunity for the occupiers to take advantage of the situation and does not consider these confrontations in the interest of the people of Palestine, the statement said, adding, "And it is exactly for this reason that it has recommended to all the Palestinian parties and groups concerned to resort to democratic procedures and respect the results of elections and legal institutions through negotiations and by eliminating misunderstandings to move towards the realization of the public desires." It also recommends that the influential Arab and Islamic governments exhaust all their potentials and influence towards adopting a formula for the compromise and unity of Palestinian groups and use all their goodwill for the elimination of opportunity available to the oppressive powers with regards to their interventionist policies in the Palestinian internal affairs. The Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Ottawa urged the Canadian Press, especially the Ottawa Citizen, in view of upholding the principles of objective journalism as well as the sensitivity of the issue involved, to publish the statement on their front pages as the alleged remarks of the Egyptian foreign minister were given coverage, thus reflecting their neutrality on this issue