Israel urged Russia on Thursday to follow the Quartet
Committee's consensus on the Palestinian Islamic Resistance
Movement (Hamas) shortly after Russian President Vladimir Putin
said he would invite Hamas for talks.
"Israel supports the Quartet decision, of which Russia was a
party to, that there should be no political dialogue with Hamas
until Hamas recognizes Israel, abandons violence and accepts the
signed agreements," Israeli Foreign Ministry Spokesman Mark Regev
was quoted by local newspaper The Jerusalem Post on its
online edition as saying.
Regev made the statement shortly after Russian President Putin
said at a press conference in Madrid that Russia was ready to
invite Hamas members for talks in Moscow in the near future
following the group's landslide victory in last month's Palestinian
legislative elections.
Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni is expected to pass on
Israel's position to Russia over the invitation at a meeting
scheduled for Thursday night in New York which will be attended by
ambassadors of the five permanent members of the UN Security
Council - Russia, the United States, Britain, France and China,
according to the report.
Russia is a member of the Quartet Committee, which also groups
key Mideast peace brokers of the US, the United Nations and the
European Union.
The Quartet Committee urged Hamas, which is sworn to Israel's
destruction, to renounce violence, recognize the existence of
Israel and abide by previous Palestinian accords with Israel at a
London meeting on Jan. 30.
The committee also said that it would review aid packages to the
Palestinian National Authority.
In response to Russia's invitation, US State Department
spokesman Sean McCormack said that the Bush administration hoped
the Russian government would send a very clear message on any
contacts between Russia and Hamas.
Hamas, holding the majority of parliament seats after winning
the Jan. 25 parliamentary elections, is expected to form a new
Palestinian government.
Hamas leaders said that they hoped the cabinet to be set up
later this month after the newly-elected parliament is sworn in on
Feb. 16.
(Xinhua News Agency February 10, 2006)
