Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and the head of the Palestinian National Authority Mahmoud Abbas held talks in Moscow yesterday. On the previous day Mahmoud Abbas met with President Dmitry Medvedev. As a result of the meetings, the Russian leadership pledged to support the peace process in the Middle East.
"I very much hope that work on a peaceful settlement will continue in spite of any external and internal political difficulties," said Mr Putin as he welcomed Mahmoud Abbas. The Prime Minister stressed that "the situation in the region is changing and we [the Russian Government] are watching it closely."
The change consists above all in the new government in Israel which may revise (and is already revising) some previous agreements and accords. Naturally, the Palestinian leader came to Moscow to seek political support. Mr Putin said that he had already spoken with newly appointed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after the change of government in Israel.
Mr Abbas for his part lamented the appearance of "another important problem, namely the inter-Palestinian dialogue being conducted in Cairo," remarking that "unfortunately it has not yet yielded the desired results." "But we hope that the result will be achieved", he added. In addition to political support Palestinians need support of a different kind.
"The last year and a half has been a test for our security forces, which they have successfully passed. But our forces need to be further strengthened," Mr Abbas noted. Mr Putin agreed that "it is necessary to think about strengthening the efficiency of the Palestinian security forces." As a subtle eastern politician, Mr Abbas thanked Mr Putin for the support of the Palestinian law enforcement groups and said that "they are already managing to fulfil their duties quite successfully".
Yury Politov