Russia's foreign minister said he expects Hamas to move closer to meeting international demands within two weeks - including setting up foreign aid monitoring and recognizing Israel, according to a newspaper interview published Wednesday.
Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov was quoted by the Vremya Novostei daily as saying that during its recent visit to Moscow, a delegation led by Hamas political chief Khaled Mashaal promised to consider recognizing the so-called road map for a Mideast peace settlement, accepting an international aid monitoring mechanism, and recognizing Mahmoud Abbas as Palestinian president - including his authority to lead the Palestinians' foreign policy.
"I think that in the next two weeks we will see some practical steps in these directions," Lavrov was quoted as saying.
'Chaos may erupt'
He warned against international attempts to isolate Hamas, saying they could lead to chaos.
"Maybe someone is counting on intervening in this situation, establishing order and destroying Hamas? But this would invite a very big war in the Middle East," Lavrov said.
Russia's invitation to Hamas, extended by President Vladimir Putin, was the first crack in an international front against the group, which has sent dozens of suicide bombers to Israel. It provoked anger in Israel and surprise among the other members of the so-called Quartet of Middle East mediators - the United States, the European Union and United Nations - which had agreed to withhold international recognition from the radical Islamic movement until it moderated its stance.
Russia insisted it was acting on behalf of the entire quartet, conveying its demand to Hamas to reject violence and recognize Israel. The Foreign Ministry said after the talks that Hamas promised to maintain a year-old cease-fire if Israel refrains from force.
In interviews with Russian media, Mashaal did not mention a promise to extend the cease-fire, and in a separate interview with Al-Jazeera television, he indicated the group had made no such promise.
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