Russia has confirmed that it had agreed in principle to hold talks with Hamas officials in Moscow early next month, indicating that it is prepared to consider an arms deal with the Palestinian Authority (PA).
A top Russian diplomat said Friday that Russian officials would make no demands of Hamas, the Interfax news agency reported. "During our meeting, we will not put forth any demands. They themselves should take a decision on steps that meet the interests of the Palestinian people and help resolve the issues on the agenda of Palestinian-Israeli relations," Russia's special Mideast envoy, Alexander Kalugin, was quoted as saying.
"We just want them to transform themselves in a positive manner. We are not going to sit at the table banging our fists; they know what the international community wants them to do," he said.
According to Reuters, Chief of the Russian General Staff Yuri Baluyevsky told reporters that his country could agree to an arms deal with a Hamas-led cabinet. He added that Moscow is considering selling Hamas, among other things, “two unarmed helicopters that would be used for transporting Palestinian leaders, in addition to armed vehicles to help preserve stability”.
“The decision to sell arms to Hamas must be reached through the cooperation of both sides,” Baluyevsky said, adding, “We will have to wait and see what the meetings in Russia will produce.”
The PA has indicated that it is seeking to purchase two M-17 helicopters, and some 50 armored vehicles from Russia.
