Abbas to seek Putin's support in Moscow talks

Moscow, July 30: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was in Moscow today to seek Russia's backing in his feud with rival faction Hamas for control over the Palestinian territories.

Abbas fired his Hamas-led government after the faction forcibly took control of the Gaza strip on June 14 but Russia -- alone among members of the so-called Quartet of West Asia peace brokers -- is in contact with Hamas leaders.

Abbas will meet Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Monday and have talks with President Vladimir Putin tomorrow, their first meeting since Hamas, a militant group that does not recognise Israel, seized control in Gaza.

''The most important thing that I will raise and discuss with President Putin and Foreign Minister Lavrov is the bloody overthrow that happened in Gaza,'' Abbas said in a Moscow interview that was aired by state television today.

Abbas said he would also discuss conditions for holding an international conference on the West Asia. He said he would inform the Russians about talks with ex-British Prime Minister Tony Blair, the Quartet's new envoy.

Russia, along with the United States, the European Union and the United Nations, make up the Quartet.

''There are a mass of questions we want to discuss with Russia's leadership including who will participate in the conference and what questions will be discussed there,'' he said.

The United States and the European Union have sought to bolster Abbas and sideline the Hamas militant group financially and diplomatically.

Lines Of Communication

But Russia has said it wants to keep lines of communication open with Hamas. Lavrov last week had a telephone conversation with Hamas politburo chief Khaled Meshaal.

''Mr Abbas is trying to convince Moscow to finally decide who it will talk to in Palestine,'' Russia's Kommersant newspaper said in a preview of the Palestinian president's visit to Moscow.

In an interview with Reuters at his West Bank headquarters late last week, Abbas said Russia was a ''great power'' with an important role in the West Asia.

''We have strong ties with Russia and we must consult with it.

This is part of the reason we are visiting Russia,'' he said.

Hamas, which won a Palestinian parliamentary election last year, is considered a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union and Israel.

Washington has led efforts to isolate the Hamas-dominated government, demanding that it renounce violence, recognize Israel's right to exist and abide by existing agreements with the Jewish state.

Reuters>