RUSSIA/MIDDLE EAST: Russia last night urged Hamas to turn from violence to politics as the group's leaders began a controversial two-day visit to Moscow.
Foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said: "We are counting on Hamas, as the leading political force in the parliament and future government, to contribute to the full and all-encompassing implementation of all previous agreements."
The visit marks Russia's break in ranks from the rest of the so-called Middle East Quartet - the US, the EU and the UN - all of which have declared Hamas a terrorist organisation.
But Moscow says the visit will help bring Hamas into the diplomatic fold, encouraging it to respect existing Middle East agreements and engage in diplomacy with Israel. Israel will take some convincing. It has been on the receiving end of hundreds of Hamas bomb attacks for more than a decade.
Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal told reporters: "We stand for peace," and said he was open for talks. But he blamed Israel for crippling the peace process. "Israel itself put a freeze on the road map to go ahead with Sharon's idea. We stand for peace and further talks," he said.
There was no sign of a change in policy over Israel. "The issue of recognition is a decided issue," said Mr Meshaal. "We don't intend to recognise Israel. The problem is not with the Palestinian people. The problem is with the occupation.
"We want there to be peace in the region. However, peace will not be until the end of the occupation and giving back the Palestinian people their land and their national rights."
In a sign of the fine line Russia is walking, President Vladimir Putin did not meet the six-strong delegation personally, a sign that Moscow wants to see evidence that Hamas has mended its ways before granting it red-carpet treatment. Instead, Mr Meshaal, his deputy and four politicians met Mr Lavrov's deputy, Alexander Saltanov, MPs and Russian Orthodox Patriarch Alexy II.
Diplomats are divided on the gesture: some hope that Russia's invitation for Hamas to dine at the top table will encourage it to adopt a less belligerent policy to Israel. Others fear Russia's backing may embolden Hamas to adopt a hardline stance in future negotiations, or even see a return of the old Middle East divide, in which the US backed Israel and Moscow backed the Palestinians.
But the trip also marks Russia's determination to secure influence in the Middle East. It comes in the same week that Moscow held the latest round of talks with Iranian officials to break the deadlock over Tehran's nuclear ambitions. Mr Putin has given a high priority to the recovery of prestige and influence that Russia lost following the break-up of the Soviet Union. His cautious reaching out to Hamas appears to have tacit EU support.