A high-profile Hamas delegation arrived in Moscow Friday for historic talks with senior Russian officials. The delegation, led by Hamas' political chief Khaled Mashaal, will meet top officials from Russia's Foreign Ministry including Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Saltanov during a three-day visit. The delegation will also meet with representatives of NGOs and prominent representatives of the Russian Muslim community, Ria Novosti reported.
Russia claims it will insist that Hamas renounce violence and recognize Israel's right to exist. Russia's special Middle East envoy, Alexander Kalugin, said the aim of the talks was not to dictate conditions to Hamas but to use persuasion.
"We're not going to put forward demands. We'll seek to convince them that now is the time to take responsible decisions. If you come to power and form a government, you must understand you are assuming a great responsibility," said Kalugin in an interview with NTV.
On his part, Mashaal declined to comment on the question of recognizing Israel. "Our trip to Moscow opens new prospects for peace in the Middle East," Mashaal said in an interview Thursday with NTV television in Damascus. "Our people want simple things: to be free and to have sovereignty. All this is impossible without an end to the occupation."
