Russia: Hamas members to visit soon

Planned talks in Russia with a delegation of Hamas representatives may take place before the end of February, a Russian official was quoted as saying on Saturday by Interfax news agency.

"It is quite possible," Interfax quoted Middle East envoy Alexander Kalugin as saying when asked if the Moscow talks would happen this month.

He said contact had already been made with Hamas to finalize details of the visit.

Later, Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said the group was still waiting for an official invitation from Russia. "But we are prepared to visit Moscow in the second half of this month," he said

Khaled Mashaal, Hamas' top leader who lives in exile in Damascus, would most likely lead the delegation to Moscow, Kalugin said.

'Dialogue with Hamas must not be delayed'

Meanwhile, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Saturday that a dialogue with Hamas must be started without delay in order to get the Mideast peace process back on track.

Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov discussed the issue Friday and Saturday with U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and the European Union's foreign policy chief, Javier Solana, the Ministry said.

"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 as an influential force in Palestinian society," the Ministry said in a statement.

"The dialogue must be aimed at getting a guarantee of continuity in the Palestinian National Administration's politics, aimed at stopping violence and achieving a

peaceful settlement with Israel, already at the stage of forming the new Palestinian government," the statement said.

Russian invitation draws angry reactions

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced this week he was inviting Hamas leaders for talks in Moscow.

Hamas, designated by Washington as a terrorist group, won a crushing victory in a Palestinian election last month and its representatives are expected to form a majority in the new government.

The Russian invitation drew an angry reaction from Israel and surprise from Moscow's partners in the so-called Middle East Quartet -- the United States, the European Union and the United Nations.

But Moscow has said that it will urge Hamas to abandon violence and recognize Israel's right to exist, in line with Quartet policy.

AP contributed to the report