Russia favors keeping up talks with Hamas
Lavrov in Damascus to take part in meeting hosted by Organization of the Islamic Conference, meets with exiled Hamas politburo Mashaal. Of Moscow's intentions of maintaining ties with Hamas despite Quartet's position, he says – 'We are certain that this is needed'
Russia believes in the need to maintain contacts with the Palestinian group Hamas, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Saturday, despite a cooling of ties between the two sides.
"We are certain that this is needed," Interfax news agency quoted Lavrov as saying after meeting Hamas
leader Khaled Mashaal in the Syrian capital, where he lives in exile.
Diplomats in Damascus said new Middle East peace moves by US President Barack Obama may have helped spur the meeting between Lavrov and Mashaal after tension between Hamas and Russia over the last few months.
Lavrov was on a brief visit to Syria to attend a foreign ministers meeting of the Organization of the Islamic Conference and meet Syrian officials. Russia has been seeking a greater role in Middle East diplomacy, and foreign ministry spokesman Andrei Nesterenko said on Thursday Moscow was "striving to strengthen and develop political dialogue and mutual cooperation with Syria."
Russia is the only member of what is known as the Quartet of Middle East negotiators that does not boycott Hamas.
Moscow, however, has criticized Hamas for not doing what Moscow considers enough to achieve reconciliation with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and his Fatah faction.
Hamas had shown little enthusiasm for Russian plans to hold a Middle East peace conference that would have been a follow-up to one organized by the United States in Annapolis, Maryland in November 2007, partly because the Palestinians would have been represented by Abbas.
On Monday, Lavrov will complete his Middle East trip with a visit to Lebanon.
Reuters and AFP contributed to this report
