Pres. Of Russia Putin: Our Position Concerning Hamas Differs From The American And Western European Positions

2006-02-10

Ministry Of Foreign Affairs Of The Russian Federation

Information And Press Department

www.ln.mid.ru/ Brp_4.nsf/arh/ 784A0038F85FDA38 C325710A002B086F ?OpenDocument

32/34 Smolenskaya-Sennaya pl., 119200, Moscow G-200; tel.: (095) 244 4119, fax: 244 4112 e-mail: dip@mid.ru, web-address: www.mid.ru

A major press conference given by President Vladimir Putin for the Russian and foreign media has taken place at the Kremlin, Moscow, January 31, 2006

Transcript of the Press Conference for the Russian and Foreign Media President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Good afternoon dear ladies and gentlemen!

...

Mohammed Amro (Al-Jazeera): Mr President! After Hamas' victory in the Middle East there have been certain statements from the west threatening to stop or diminish the help they give the Palestinian population. Will your position on this issue change? And do you agree with the opinion that what is happening now in the Middle East is the failure of American diplomacy? Thank you.

Vladimir Putin: It is a big setback, an important setback for American efforts in the Middle East. A very serious setback.

I think that if we want to resolve these difficult global problems than we must only do so together and not invite the participants in the process to pull the chestnuts out of the fire, but rather sit down together and to listen to each other right from the beginning and to take corresponding decisions.

Our position concerning Hamas differs from the American and western European positions. The foreign ministry of the Russian Federation never declared that Hamas is a terrorist organization. But this does not mean that we approve and support everything that Hamas does and all the declarations that they have made recently. We think that it is one thing when this political force was the opposition and trying to get into power and we know that throughout the whole world very often the opposition makes very radical statements. It is another thing when it receives the people's vote of confidence and must make sure that the people who believed in this movement feel the positive results of their authorities' work. And for this it is necessary to leave behind the extremist positions, to recognize Israel's right to exist and to have relations with the international community.

We call on Hamas to do these very things. In any case we would consider refusing to help the Palestinian people a mistake.

...

Source: IMRA – Independent Media Review and Analysis