Russia says outsiders spurring Palestinian strife

MOSCOW, Jan 29 (Reuters) Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov today accused unidentified outsiders of instigating Palestinian factional strife that he said was threatening civil war and hindering a relaunch of peace talks with Israel.

Fighting between President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah faction and militants of the governing Hamas Islamist movement went into a fifth day today. So far, 30 people have been killed.

''Efforts to resume the negotiation process with Israel have stumbled over the threat of a civil war in the Palestinian territories,'' Interfax news agency quoted Lavrov as telling a Russian government meeting chaired by President Vladimir Putin.

Lavrov is expected to take part in a meeting of the Quartet West Asia mediating group in Washington on February 2 to try to get the Israeli-Palestinian peace process back on track. US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is due to host the meeting.

''The goal of the Quartet is to help overcome the standoff between the Palestinians, namely between Fatah and Hamas, and stop efforts which unfortunately are being carried out from outside to provoke conflict between these groups,'' Lavrov said.

''If their efforts were not being hindered from abroad, these two main Palestinian groups could quickly come to agreement,'' Lavrov said separately in televised remarks.

Lavrov did not say who he thought was hindering a reconciliation.

The United States and other Western countries support Abbas, while Hamas is backed by Syria and Iran.

Reuters BDP DB1829