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President Vladimir Putin, Saturday. (AP)
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| By Israel Insider staff and partners February 12, 2006 |
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Hamas leaders said they don't expect Russia to impose conditions for their trip to Moscow later this month for talks, a trip that has enraged Israeli leaders who fear the international community's resolve to shun the violent Islamic group is weakening.
"We are going to present our positions ... about the political developments and issues related to the rights of our people," said Sami Abu Zuhri, a Hamas spokesman in Gaza, on Saturday. "Russia will listen to Hamas and Hamas will listen to Russia."
Abu Zuhri made the announcement after a shadowy Palestinian militant group released an Egyptian diplomat kidnapped earlier in the week.
Also, on Sunday the vital Erez crossing between Gaza and Israel was to be reopened, the army said. The crossing, used by thousands of Palestinian workers to reach their jobs in Israel, was closed after armed Palestinians attacked it on Thursday.
Russian President Vladimir Putin extended the invitation to Hamas on Thursday, following its sweeping victory in last month's Palestinian legislative elections. The terrorist group, which remains committed to Israel's destruction, is to form a new Palestinian government in the coming weeks.
Putin's decision to invite Hamas for talks infuriated Israel, which has urged the world to isolate the militants until they change their terrorist ways.
The U.S. also reacted coolly, though officials conceded there is nothing they can do to stop the meeting. Russia and the U.S., along with the European Union and United Nations, make up the Quartet of Mideast peace negotiators. The Quartet, the main backer of the "road map" peace plan, has called on Hamas to renounce violence and recognize Israel.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice urged Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Friday to send a clear, strong message in any meetings with Hamas officials that the militant group must stop terror attacks on Israel.
In response, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said, Russian officials offered assurances that "they will send this very clear, strong signal" adopted by Russia along with the United States, the United Nations and the European Union in a joint statement approved in response to Hamas' strong showing in Palestinian parliamentary elections.
Putin made his overture to Hamas on Thursday during a visit to Spain.
"We have never considered Hamas a terrorist organization," he said. "Having maintained our contacts with the organization Hamas, we intend to invite their leaders to Moscow in the near future to search for solutions."
Israeli Cabinet minister Meir Sheetrit on Friday accused Putin of "stabbing Israel in the back." Israel's foreign minister cautioned the international community Sunday against going down the "slippery slope" of legitimizing Hamas, criticizing Russia's decision to invite the terrorist group to Moscow for talks.
But another Cabinet member said Israel would not respond harshly to the invitation, and Israeli government officials said Israel was inclined to let the U.S. take the lead in pressuring Russia to maintain a tough stand against Hamas. The government officials spoke on condition of anonymity because diplomacy is still evolving.
Meanwhile, Acting Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said it doesn't matter whether Hamas, which is committed to Israel's destruction, stacks its incoming Cabinet with professionals, Israel Radio reported.
"Israel's position is clear," Olmert said. "The moment the Palestinian parliament is sworn in, the Palestinian Authority becomes a Hamas Authority."
Further upsetting Israel, France has come out in support of Russia.
French Foreign Ministry spokesman Denis Simonneau said Russia did not consult its international partners about its initiative. But "we believe that it is an initiative that can contribute to advancing our positions," he added.
"We share with Russia the goal of leading Hamas toward positions that would allow for the goal of two states living in peace and security to be reached," he said.
The Representative Council of Jewish Institutions of France denounced the ministry's statement, saying in a communique that it believed the Russian initiative was "a first dangerous step" toward a possible softening of a firm international stance toward Hamas.
Following the criticism, the French Foreign Ministry issued a second statement late Friday, insisting that France's position toward Hamas "remains that which has been reiterated throughout the last few days."
In Moscow, the Russian Foreign Ministry defended Putin's decision, saying a dialogue with Hamas must be started immediately to get the Mideast peace process back on track. It said Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had discussed the issue with U.S., European and U.N. counterparts.
"The Russian side is convinced that in the interests of guaranteeing prospects for restoring the process of a Palestinian-Israeli settlement on the basis of the 'road map,' it is necessary not to drag out the beginning of talks with Hamas," the ministry said.
Although an official date for the visit hasn't been set, Abu Zuhri said Saturday that he expects it to take place in the second half of February. Russian Mideast envoy Alexander Kalugin also said the visit could take place by the end of the month, the Russian news agency Interfax reported.
In Gaza, militants on Saturday released an Egyptian diplomat they kidnapped at gunpoint earlier in the week. Officials said Hussam Almousaly, Egypt's military attache to the Palestinian Authority, was unharmed.
The abduction, carried out in broad daylight, underscored the lawlessness plaguing Gaza in the wake of Israel's withdrawal last September. Egypt, a key ally of the Palestinians, has been trying to broker the formation of a new Palestinian government following the Hamas election victory.
A previously unknown group calling itself the "Al Ahrar Brigades" - Arabic for "the liberated people" - claimed responsibility, demanding the release of dozens of Palestinian criminals held in Egyptian jails.
All major Palestinian militant groups, including those who have carried out previous kidnappings, condemned the abduction.
"Despite the happy ending of the release of the Egyptian diplomat, there are people who are asking what are the reasons behind such incidents," Suleiman Awad, a spokesman for Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, said Saturday. "Although Abu Mazen (Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas) is doing his best to contain this disorder, it is time that all Palestinian factions cooperate with the Palestinian Authority and its president."
The AP contributed to this report.
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