Lavrov, Haniyeh Tackle Palestinian National Unity, Peace

Arab World

March 3rd, 7:41am

Moscow - Asharq Al-Awsat

Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh (3rd-R) waves upon his arrival at a rally marking the 31st anniversary of the group's founding, in Gaza City December 16, 2018. (AFP)

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov held talks in Moscow on Monday with Hamas politburo chief Ismail Haniyeh on the situation in the Gaza Strip. "They discussed the ways to recover Palestine’s national unity based on the political platform of the Palestine Liberation Organization," a statement by the Foreign Ministry said. It added that they tackled various aspects of the current situation around the Gaza Strip, namely in the context of efforts aimed to achieve stable and comprehensive Middle East regulation on an internationally recognized legal basis. The Ministry said that on the same day, the Hamas leader also held talks with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov. It did not disclose details of their meeting. A Hamas source told Asharq Al-Awast that the talks with the Russian officials mainly focused on three priorities. First, the two sides discussed the mechanisms for handling the so-called “deal of the century” US peace proposal and the possibility of developing a movement to counter it. The source said that Russia and Hamas shared views in many aspects related to this issue. Second, Lavrov and Haniyeh touched on Palestinian national unity and the means to unite Palestinian ranks. Third, they tackled bilateral relations and means to enhance them at different levels. Hamas is seeking to intensify its contacts with Moscow to strengthen its position in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and to persuade Russia to foil Washington’s peace plan, mainly through its veto at the United Nations Security Council.

from Asharq AL-awsat https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/2160216/lavrov-haniyeh-tackle-palestinian-national-unity-peace