A senior British diplomat met Tuesday with Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas to discuss the fate of BBC journalist Alan Johnston, kidnapped by Palestinian militants in Gaza almost two months ago.

"This unfortunate incident is of great concern to the British government," said Richard Makepeace, the U.K. consul-general in Jerusalem, as he left Haniyeh's office in Gaza.

Makepeace requested the meeting, said a senior British diplomat, who declined to be identified under consulate rules.

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The diplomat said the meeting was only to discuss the matter of Johnston, and did not signify a break in Britain's boycott of Hamas. The two men also met last month.

Palestinian officials have recently said that contacts with the kidnappers are underway, and that they received assurances that Johnston is in good health.

Haniyeh aide Ahmed Youssef said Monday that the case is on its way to being resolved, but would not give details.

Johnston, 44, was abducted by gunmen on March 12, and has not been seen or heard from since.

Haniyeh said last week that British officials had rejected a Palestinian proposal to use force in order to secure Johnston's release.

Youssef said Monday that Palestinian officials are trying to persuade the kidnappers that they are mistaken in using Islamic justifications.

He denied a newspaper report listing the demands of the kidnappers - a tract of land from the Palestinian government, $5 million from the British government, and the release of an Iraqi woman sentenced to death in Jordan for her role in the 2005 hotel bombings in Amman, carried out by Al-Qaida.