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Caught in a Word
The yesterday’s reply of Russian President Vladimir Putin to Al-Jazeera reporter concerning the Middle East has led to a diplomatic brawl. To the obvious bewilderment of Israel, Putin said Russia has never considered Hamas a terrorist organization, although it doesn’t mean it supports and applauds to all its actions.
Putin’s answer appears particularly astonishing in light of the rather warm relations between Russia and Israel, which have been continuously improving. The timing is also significant. A shocking victory of Hamas in Palestine threw hopes for peace deeper into doubt.
In Israel, they say Putin’s words contradict the recent statement of the Middle East Quartet that was sealed by Russia, by the way. Moreover, those words don’t agree with Russia's position voiced during a phone conversation of RF Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Israel’s Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni. Instead of the demand to lay down arms, Putin has offered to Hamas to just evade radical statements and to establish contact with the world community, which is actually one of the prime purposes of the organization today.
The reasons that have prompted Putin to be so eloquent are yet unclear. But one thing is known for certain – if Russia attempts to strengthen its standing in the Middle East by backing up Hamas and opposing Israel, it won’t gain weight in dialog of Palestine and Israel and its mediation there will hardly become efficient.
www.kommersant.com
All the Article in Russian as of Feb. 02, 2006
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