RUSSIA WILL SUPPLY PALESTINE WITH HELICOPTERS AND TELECOMS, SAYS PUTIN

RAMALLAH, April 29 (RIA Novosti) - Russia will help Palestine by supplying helicopters and telecommunication equipment, and providing security personnel training, Russian President Vladimir Putin told a news conference in Ramallah. "We will render assistance to the Palestinian leadership in hardware supplies and personnel training. At the first stage, we will deliver rotary-wing aircraft and telecommunications, and provide Moscow-based training of security and police officers," he said.

"We would like to make this cooperation transparent, in order not to raise concerns from the Israeli side," he underscored.

"We discussed this in Cairo, yesterday with Prime Minister of Israel, and today with our close friends," Putin said, "They do understand that the Palestinian leadership needs certain capabilities to bring law and order to Palestinian territories."

"Expecting Mahmud Abbas to fight terrorism effectively, we have to realize that a slingshot and a handful of stones won't do the job," the Russian leader said, "Which Israel clearly understands," he added.