A Hamas delegation, led by its leader Khaled Mashaal, will discuss the implementation of a power sharing agreement that Fatah and Hamas signed in Mecca two weeks ago to try and avert a civil war and restart constructive dialogue with Israel.
"[Palestinian President] Abu Mazen [Mahmoud Abbas] recently met with [Israeli Prime Minister Ehud] Olmert, but the meeting produced no results. Olmert has nothing new to propose," Mashaal said.
The delegation is in Moscow to coordinate the Palestinian position with the Russian side, Mashaal said, "We value Russia's contribution to the Middle East peace process."
Since the Islamist group Hamas came to power in Palestine, Western nations have blocked aid to the Palestinian government over its refusal to recognize Israel's right to exist, renounce violence and comply with previous Palestinian-Israeli agreements seeking a solution to the protracted Middle East crisis.
The agreement in Mecca was also discussed during Abbas' meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin two weeks ago in Amman, Jordan. Putin told Abbas that the Palestinian-Israeli conflict could be resolved by observing the Mecca agreement and if an Israeli soldier captured by the Palestinians in June was returned in exchange for Palestinian prisoners being held in Israel. Hamas was one of the groups that claimed responsibility for the seizure.
