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| Israel Urges Russia to Follow Quartet Consensus on Hamas |
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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) |
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