GAZA, June 15 (RIA Novosti) - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has postponed his official visit to Moscow, scheduled for next week, due to escalating tensions in the region, a source close to the president said Friday.
Earlier Friday, Abbas declared a state of emergency and dissolved the government after six days of bloody gun battles in which Hamas fighters wrested control of key Fatah strongholds in Gaza.
"The Palestinian president's visit to Moscow, scheduled for June 19-21, has been postponed indefinitely by mutual agreement," the source said. "The date for the visit will be agreed upon as usual through diplomatic channels."
Militants of the Islamist group Hamas stormed key security buildings in the crowded Gaza Strip Thursday, eventually gaining control of Fatah's Preventative Security Service headquarters and seizing the presidential compound, the last point of resistance for Abbas's presidential guard in the region.
