Struggle for control and preeminence in the Asian continent can easily be sensed once again, for Russia, which has been clamoring for a greater role in the Middle East, has been more positive and looking forward to play a bigger role in sustaining and uniting the Palestinian government than the United States and the European Union.
Russia, who earlier played a key part in the six-nation talks over North Korea’s critical nuclear program and now playing a significant role in Iran nuclear talks as well as Palestine peace process, has become quite active and striving to control the proceedings in Asia.
Hamas supreme leader Khaled Mashaal’s second visit, in less than a year, to Moscow just suggests the eagerness of Russia to play a mediating role in the Middle-East especially when the credibility of the US has come under a strict scrutiny in the turbulent region.
Mashaal urged the world community to support and cooperate with the Palestinian government to keep the peace process going and appealed for the removal of an international aid embargo. Mashaal asserted,
Our goal is to begin the international community’s interaction with the Palestinian government in order to provide for a political atmosphere that would foster the creation of a Palestinian state.
Greater amount of foreign aid and support to Palestine were cut off after Hamas, hailed as a terrorist group by most of the Western and other nations, marked a surprising victory in January 2006 elections.
Sergey Lavrov, Russian Foreign Minister, said,
We are pushing for all members of the international community to support this process and make it irreversible, including efforts to lift the blockade.
Israel has severely criticized Lavrov’s remarks as they claims that, ‘this is not the international community’s stand and it’s not the Quartet’s stand’.
Russia, who earlier along with the United States, the United Nations, and the European Union have insisted Hamas to renounce violence, recognize Israel and abide by previous agreements between the Israelis and the Palestinians, has completely changed its stance and now supports negotiations rather than sanctions.
Russia’s assurance to lift the sanctions imposed by the western governments on the Palestinian Authority is a clear-cut opposition of the US as well as Israeli foreign policies concerning Hamas and Palestine that completely disregards and condemns the credibility of Hamas as a responsible political group.
