Lavrov to meet with Secretary General of PLO executive committee

[Balu]

Lavrov to meet with Secretary General of PLO executive committee

Russian Politics & Diplomacy (http://tass.com/politics)
January 13, 4:56 UTC+3 MOSCOW
Prospects for unblocking the negotiations will become the main topic of the meeting

https://cdn2.tass.ru/width/744_b12f2926/tass/m2/en/uploads/i/20170113/1158347.jpg
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov

© Alexander Shcherbak/TASS

MOSCOW, January 13. /TASS/. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is going to meet with Secretary General of Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) executive committee Saeb Erekat to discuss the Middle East peace process.
According to the Ministry’s official representative Maria Zakharova, prospects for unblocking the negotiations will become the main topic of the meeting.
The work on the Palestinian-Israeli settlement will continue in Moscow on January 16, when Lavrov will meet with representatives of the leading Palestinian movements Fatah and Hamas and other factions. The meeting will focus on restoring Palestinian unity, the lack of which has repeatedly presented an obstacle to the peace process.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in connection with the upcoming meeting, Russia intends to reaffirm the fundamental approaches in favor of a speedy overcoming of the internal Palestinian split. Representatives of the Palestinian movements will discuss the restoration in the course of consultations on January 15.
The problem of the settlement in the Middle East has taken a central place on the international agenda in the beginning of January. The second international conference on the Palestinian-Israeli settlement will be held in Paris on January 15.

More:
http://tass.com/politics/924831

[Drummond]

Lavrov to meet with Secretary General of PLO executive committee

Russian Politics & Diplomacy (http://tass.com/politics)
January 13, 4:56 UTC+3 MOSCOW
Prospects for unblocking the negotiations will become the main topic of the meeting

https://cdn2.tass.ru/width/744_b12f2926/tass/m2/en/uploads/i/20170113/1158347.jpg
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov

© Alexander Shcherbak/TASS

MOSCOW, January 13. /TASS/. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is going to meet with Secretary General of Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) executive committee Saeb Erekat to discuss the Middle East peace process.
According to the Ministry’s official representative Maria Zakharova, prospects for unblocking the negotiations will become the main topic of the meeting.
The work on the Palestinian-Israeli settlement will continue in Moscow on January 16, when Lavrov will meet with representatives of the leading Palestinian movements Fatah and Hamas and other factions. The meeting will focus on restoring Palestinian unity, the lack of which has repeatedly presented an obstacle to the peace process.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in connection with the upcoming meeting, Russia intends to reaffirm the fundamental approaches in favor of a speedy overcoming of the internal Palestinian split. Representatives of the Palestinian movements will discuss the restoration in the course of consultations on January 15.
The problem of the settlement in the Middle East has taken a central place on the international agenda in the beginning of January. The second international conference on the Palestinian-Israeli settlement will be held in Paris on January 15.

More:
http://tass.com/politics/924831

H'm. For my money, this puts something of a sizeable dent in the 'Russia is really anti-terrorist' school of thinking.

Here, for Balu's benefit (I'm sure that most of us already know this ??) is an excerpt from Wikipedia (Arabic removed). They begin their entry on the PLO, thus:-

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palestine_Liberation_Organization


The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) is an organization founded in 1964 with the purpose of the "liberation of Palestine" through armed struggle, with much of its violence aimed at Israeli civilians

Balu, we also recognise Hamas as being a terrorist organisation ... 'even' if they do also rule Gaza. If you ever do bother to read the Hamas Charter, Balu, you'll find that at its core it's dedicated to the destruction of the State of Israel.

If, in fact, Russia is well disposed to certain terrorists of its choosing - as seemingly has been proven !! - can we have an explanation of why they took such a harsh line with terrorists in Syria ? Could it be, Balu, that ALL Russia (i.e principally Putin) truly cared about was whether or not those terrorists opposed Assad and his regime ??

In case you need to be told this about Hamas, Balu ... see ...

https://www.rt.com/news/214363-hamas-birthday-parade-israel/

Yes, Balu, this IS from RT (a Russian-funded network) ...


Hamas paraded 2,000 of its armed fighters and truck-mounted rockets through Gaza on Sunday, vowing to destroy Israel. It comes as a sluggish rebuilding program of the coastal strip threatens the August ceasefire that ended the 50-day war with Israel.

In the parade, trucks carrying three long-range rockets and other vehicles with multiple rocket launchers drove by, while a drone with Hamas markings sat on a flatbed truck. Another Hamas drone and an Israeli aircraft flew simultaneously overhead.

One of Hamas’ founding leaders, Khalil al-Hayya, reaffirmed the Islamist movement’s founding charter, which is the destruction of Israel.

So, Balu. Can we count on your opposition to this Russian move ? Or, do you think that the correct way of dealing with terrorist factions is to negotiate, rather than to mete out to them what they richly deserve ??

[jimnyc]

Meeting with Hamas as well? They're terrorists and shouldn't be dealt with, IMO.

[Balu]

Meeting with Hamas as well? They're terrorists and shouldn't be dealt with, IMO.

The negotiations are better. They were even between Gen. Wolf and Allen Dulles in Switzerland, March 1945. (Operation "Sunrise"/"Crossword") The most peculiar thing is that the rank of Gen. Wolf was 1 grade lower than that of Reichsführer Himmler. So... http://s19.rimg.info/aee19e2775457d135efdf745e7d94e15.gif (http://smayliki.ru/smilie-1224821991.html)

[Balu]

Palestine confirms Abbas ready to meet with Israeli PM in Moscow

World (http://tass.com/world)
January 13, 11:42 UTC+3
Russia’s top diplomat stresses the need for direct talks between Israel and Palestine for achieving peaceful settlement


https://phototass4.cdnvideo.ru/width/744_b12f2926/tass/m2/en/uploads/i/20170113/1158375.jpg
Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas

© EPA/OLIVIER HOSLET

MOSCOW, January 13. /TASS/. Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas confirms readiness to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Moscow, Secretary-General of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Executive Committee Saeb Erekat said on Friday.
"Mahmoud Abbas earlier declared his readiness to take part in these talks in Moscow, and we confirm it today," Erekat said.
Read also
https://cdn2.tass.ru/width/333_3412a45b/tass/m2/en/uploads/i/20160608/1136123.jpg (http://tass.com/world/880786)

Palestinian FM hopes for Russian active role in resolving conflict with Israel (http://tass.com/world/880786)

Russian top diplomat Sergey Lavrov confirmed earlier Moscow will host talks of leaders of Israel, Palestine when both sides are ready for this. "We were ready to receive the leaders of Israel and Palestine in Moscow back in September last year, and we are ready now when they can confirm their readiness," Lavrov said.
Russia’s top diplomat stressed that the need for direct talks between Israel and Palestine for achieving peaceful settlement is "long overdue."
Lavrov noted that Russia traditionally has a stance on the Middle East settlement that is based on the decisions of the UN Security Council. "You know this position very well," he added.
He also stressed the importance of restoring the Palestinian unity to promote peace process. "We are ready to provide all the necessary organizational support to the meeting of representatives of Palestinian movements held on the basis of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences," Lavrov said.

More:
http://tass.com/world/924876

[Drummond]

The negotiations are better. They were even between Gen. Wolf and Allen Dulles in Switzerland, March 1945. (Operation "Sunrise"/"Crossword") The most peculiar thing is that the rank of Gen. Wolf was 1 grade lower than that of Reichsführer Himmler. So... http://s19.rimg.info/aee19e2775457d135efdf745e7d94e15.gif (http://smayliki.ru/smilie-1224821991.html)

You say that negotiations are better, Balu. ARE they ?

I could agree with you, if, one crucial condition was met by the Palestinians and Hamas. Namely, that they unconditionally renounce all violence and verifiably disarm.

But you see, Balu, that's exactly the problem, right there. No terrorist organisation would willingly agree to renounce violence or disarm .. they have to be forced to, through action taken to enforce this.

Hamas in particular has not only failed to even consider disarming, but has also failed to renounce to any degree WHATEVER, its foundling policy of Israel's destruction. They remain loyal to their original, foundling Charter.

So YOU tell ME, Balu. Why on earth should these 'negotiating parties' be trusted an inch ?

I therefore reject your conclusion that negotiation is 'better'. I'd also like you to tell me, Balu, why Russia wants to militarily attack and defeat SOME terrorists, but by total contrast, unsupportably NEGOTIATE WITH and TRUST others !

As I've said, this severely strains, to say the least, any perception of Russia's supposedly 'anti-terrorist' credentials !!

[Balu]

Russian top doplomat calls upon leaders of Palestine’s parties to compromise

Russian Politics & Diplomacy (http://tass.com/politics)
January 16, 18:06 UTC+3 MOSCOW
Russia welcomes the meeting of the Palestinian National Council’s preparatory committee, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov noted


https://phototass4.cdnvideo.ru/width/744_b12f2926/tass/m2/en/uploads/i/20170116/1158627.jpg
© Mikhail Japaridze/TASS

MOSCOW, January 16. /TASS/. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Monday met with the representatives of leading Palestinian parties to call upon them to work for achieving a compromise so crucial to the people of Palestine.
"You all know very well that our country is a high-principled and persistent advocate of restoring Palestinian unity and of overcoming the split that occurred ten years ago," Lavrov said. "We have been able to see more than once that the absence of unity has an adverse impact on the solution of the Palestinian problem."
Read also


Split among Palestinians hampers progress in talks on Middle East — diplomat (http://tass.com/world/880021)
Palestinian unity important for Palestinian-Israeli settlement — Lavrov (http://tass.com/politics/878326)
Russia working on reaching inter-Palestinian unity — FM (http://tass.com/politics/859103)
Palestinian leader backs Russia’s airstrikes in Syria (http://tass.com/world/854901)
Palestine notes Russia’s role in organizing talks with Israel — Foreign Ministry (http://tass.com/politics/898258)

"We are certain that to ensure the unalienable rights of the Palestinian people it is necessary to conclude no easy but crucial compromises," Lavrov said. "You share a common goal of creating an independent and viable Palestinian state, which lives side by side with its neighbors. We know that a number of states are keen to help you regain unity."
"The urgency of and need for movement towards unity begin to conquer minds," he said.
Russia, Lavrov said, welcomes the meeting of the Palestinian National Council’s preparatory committee, where an important decision was made to confirm the policy of consolidation and of forming through joint efforts a government of national unity, whose competence would spread to all Palestinian territories.
"We do hope that today’s meeting and your contacts between each other will not just help make this decision a fine declaration, but also turn into action," Lavrov said.

More:
http://tass.com/politics/925313