In Russia, Abbas calls for a Hamas apology
The Palestinian chief cited crimes in Gaza. He got Putin's backing; Moscow's Mideast influence is rising.
MOSCOW - Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said yesterday that Hamas had committed serious crimes in taking over the Gaza Strip, and warned that there could be no reconciliation without an apology from the radical Islamic group.
Abbas' comments came as he wrapped up a trip to Moscow, where he received the support of Russian President Vladimir V. Putin. The international community has lined up behind Abbas and the West Bank-based government he installed after Hamas wrestled control of Gaza in June.
Hamas committed "a grave crime; they must apologize before their people for these crimes," Abbas said during a news conference at the end of the three-day visit, which has highlighted Russia's rising influence in Middle East diplomacy.
Last year, Moscow, a member of the Quartet of Mideast negotiators, attracted the ire of Israel and Western nations by hosting Hamas' leadership for talks. The Quartet also consists of the United States, the United Nations, and the European Union.
There has been speculation that Hamas leaders are planning to visit Moscow after Abbas' trip.
Abbas has been viewed as using the Moscow trip to garner support for his Fatah movement and his government in the standoff. But in an interview published yesterday in the daily Nezavisimaya Gazeta, he said Russia was free to decide whether to maintain contacts with Hamas.
"This is an affair for Russia as a sovereign state and does not create any problems for our bilateral relations," he said.
At a meeting Monday in the Kremlin, Putin endorsed Abbas' leadership. "I want to assure you that Russia will support you as the legitimate leader of the Palestinian people," Putin told Abbas. "I am convinced that you will do everything to restore the unity of the Palestinian people."
After his meeting with Putin, Abbas said that parliamentary and presidential elections, which are designed to freeze Hamas from power, should be held "as soon as possible" but that no date had been decided.























