Putin invites Hamas to Moscow, France seconds the initiative

Putin invites Hamas to Moscow, France seconds the initiative

MOSCOW - Russian President Vladimir Putin might not be everybody's idea of an ideal statesman, but he took the lead on Thursday by confirming that he would be issuing an invitation to Hamas leaders to visit Moscow for talks. Understandably this decision has shocked the world, more specifically Israel and the United States.

One Israeli official went as far as to say that Russia had "stabbed Israel in the back" with this decision. Putin had revealed on Thursday that he did not view Hamas, which swept the recent Palestinian parliamentary elections, as a terror outfit.

"Having maintained our contacts with the organization Hamas, we intend to invite their leaders to Moscow in the near future to search for solutions," Putin said in Spain, where he is on an official visit. Israeli Cabinet Minister Meir Sheetrit reacted by asking, "I wonder what Putin would say if we invited the Chechens here and talked to them."

The White House also issued a cautious reaction, but said that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice had spoken to Russian foreign minister, Sergey V. Lavrov and he had assured her that Russia would give Hamas a "clear, strong message."

Meanwhile, France has come out in support of Russia's decision to talk to Hamas. A spokesman with the French Foreign Ministry said on Friday that Russia had not revealed its intentions to the EU, but "we share with Russia the goal to bring Hamas to the positions which allow us to reach the goal of two states living in peace and security," Denis Simonneau told reporters in Paris.

"As long as we remain within the framework of the goals and principles that we have set for ourselves, we consider that this initiative can contribute to advancing our positions." But even this stand has infuriated Israel with Daniel Ayalon, the country's ambassador to the US saying, "I wish they would not have said anything about having a dialogue with terrorists."