RUSSIAN DFM SALTANOV ON INVITATION TO HAMAS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 MOSCOW 001323

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/10/2016
TAGS: PREL PGOV PTER RS
SUBJECT: RUSSIAN DFM SALTANOV ON INVITATION TO HAMAS


Classified By: Ambassador William J. Burns. Reasons: 1.4(B/D).


1. (C) On February 10 Ambassador Burns called on DFM
Saltanov seeking clarification of Putin's invitation to Hamas
leadership to visit Moscow. Ambassador said the announcement
of an invitation to Hamas had come as an unwelcome surprise
to Washington (and other Quartet capitals). It was very
important to get a clear sense of Russian thinking, and avoid
such surprises in the future. It was equally important to
ensure that we are all still fully committed to the
understandings reached in London.


2. (C) Saltanov stressed that Russia fully intends to abide
by all London commitments and preserve the Road Map as a
basis for progress. Echoing the MFA's statement (below) as
well as points made separately to the Ambassador by Russian
Special Envoy for the Middle East Aleksandr Kalugin, Saltanov
characterized Hamas' overwhelming victory at the polls as an
unwelcome surprise, but insisted that dialogue with Hamas was
the most promising way forward. Saltanov indicated that a
Hamas visit to Moscow is still in the planning stages. It
would take place in 2-3 weeks time, before Israeli FM Tzipi
Livni's visit in mid-March, but Saltanov emphasized that
nothing is set yet. Similarly, he was uncertain about the
level of the Hamas delegation, noting that Khalid Meshal
"might" be invited. Ambassador urged Saltanov to take into
account the timing of the Israeli election as it considered
possible timing of a Hamas visit.


3. (C) Like other Quartet partners, Saltanov said, the GOR's
chief objective was to prevent the situation in the Occupied
Territories from worsening. After relatively positive
meetings in Cairo with the Hamas leadership, he continued,
the Egyptians had signaled to Moscow that follow-on talks
with Hamas might prove useful as a way to complement Egypt's
efforts. On the operational level, Saltanov said, any
Palestinian delegation to Moscow would most likely be
received at the DFM level, but he did not exclude a possible
"courtesy call" on FM Lavrov. Ambassador stressed to
Saltanov that a Lavrov-Hamas meeting was not a good idea and
would likely be met with genuine concern in Washington.


4. (C) More broadly, Saltanov said, the GOR firmly supports
PA President Abu Mazen and considers the possibility of the
Palestinian Authority completely dominated by Hamas
"destabilizing." Saltanov emphasized that Abu Mazen should
retain control of the PA's foreign policy and security
structures and that, given their expressed desire to take
responsibility for the fate of Palestine, Hamas should abide
by the agreements of the previous administration. Saltanov
said the GOR understands that without guarantees for Israeli
security, normalization of Israeli-Palestinian relations will
not be possible. Saltanov said Hamas' recognition of
Israel's right to exist would remain a very challenging issue
and that it would take considerable time to work out any
possible solution.


5. (C) He added that a pure HAMAS government would be bad
for the peace process, not to mention Israel, and would make
the Quartet's work all the more challenging; a "technocratic"
government would be the ideal. He cautioned against the
possible destabilizing consequences of cutting aid to the
Palestinians and said creating an international oversight
committee could give donor countries assurances that funds
were channeled only for peace-building purposes. Saltanov
said the GOR would be watching attentively any fault lines
within Hamas and indicated that leveraging any cracks may
offer the best way to manage this new situation.

Syria/Lebanon
--------------


6. (C) Saltanov said the situation in Lebanon is fragile,
but noted that there is a tendency in Western capitals to
exaggerate Damascus' influence over Beirut. He also said the
GOR continues to press Asad to cooperate fully with the
Hariri investigation.

Algeria
--------------


7. (C) Saltanov characterized Russia's relationship with
Algeria as "improved" and noted Algeria has been helpful on
counter-terrorism. He indicated that Putin will meet
President Bouteflika in early March. Saltanov said that a
packet of bilateral agreements on civilian and military
issues should take its final form in the next several weeks
and that the upcoming visit has generated considerable
interest in the Russian business community.

MFA Statement on Hamas Invitation

MOSCOW 00001323 002 OF 002


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In response to a press correspondent regarding President
Putin's intention to invite the Hamas leadership to Moscow in
the near future, Russian MFA Spokesman Kamynin said:

"Our intention in establishing contacts with the Hamas
leadership is motivated first of all by Russia's desire to
prevent a serious deterioration in the Palestinian-Israeli
peace process, to hold open the possibility for further
progress on the Road Map, to continue the search for a
solution acceptable to the PA, to Israel and to the
international community. Our approach is based on the need
to respect the will of the Palestinian people, expressed in
the legitimate democratic elections.

"In a planned meeting with the Hamas leadership, we intend to
promote practical implementation of the Quartet approach
agreed to at the January 20 meeting in London.

"It is important to stress that our dialogue with Hamas will
take place parallel with the dialogue already underway
between major regional players, in particular Egypt, and
Hamas. We share the same goal - to make the Hamas leadership
aware of the clear and unambiguous message of the
international community about the need to take responsible
decisions, corresponding to the basic interests of the whole
Palestinian people and promoting the creation of an
independent and viable Palestinian state, co-existing in
peace and security with Israel."

BURNS