Russia, Syria will push Hamas on road map - Lavrov

MOSCOW, Mar 14 (Reuters) Russia and Syria are both trying to persuade the Palestinian group Hamas to fulfil steps laid out in the road map towards West Asia peace, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said today.

Speaking after talks with Syrian counterpart Walid al-Moualem, who earlier met President Vladimir Putin, Lavrov also said Russia's controversial arms sales to Damascus were in full agreement with international conventions.

''Russia and Syria are doing and will continue to do all that is necessary to ensure that the activities of Hamas are heading towards the principles formulated by the international community... towards the steps laid down by the quartet of international mediators,'' Lavrov said.

Russia, which is a member of the quartet of mediators that drew up the ''road map'', annoyed Israel and the United States by inviting leaders of the Islamist militant group to Moscow after Hamas's shock victory in Palestinian elections in January.

Lavrov, who met the Hamas delegation 10 days ago, failed to secure their agreement to recognise Israel or respect past agreements -- steps seen as fundamental to any involvement by Hamas in the peace process.

Some of Hamas's most prominent leaders live in exile in Syria.

Moualem replied to Lavrov by saying the two sides had discussed the need to ''respect the hopes of the Palestinian people and the necessity of cooperation with the future Palestinian government'', which will be formed by Hamas.

U.S. officials are barred from having contacts with Hamas, and sources have said Washington would cut any links with Palestinian groups that enter into a coalition with Hamas, which the U.S.

administration considers to be a terrorist group.

Russia has been a close ally of Syria since Soviet times, and defended it from the threat of sanctions linked to the probe into the killing of ex-Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri -- which France and Washington said the Syrians were refusing to cooperate with.

Moscow angered Washington last year by agreeing to sell advanced missile systems to Syria, which the United States has accused of having links to terrorism.

Lavrov today said the two ministers had discussed the arms trade between them and insisted there was no reason to criticise it.

''It is in complete compliance with international legislation and international norms,'' he said.

Reuters PG DB2117