Russian paper: Moscow to ask Lieberman to end Gaza siege

MOSCOW, (PIC)– Visiting Israeli foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman will hear demands by Russian officials for an end to the siege on Gaza in addition to halting settlement activity in the Palestinian lands, Russian paper Vremya Novostei reported on Saturday.

The paper expected the Russian officials to raise the question of Hamas during the talks with Lieberman, who is expected in Moscow early June.

It noted that the Israeli foreign minister is also expected to express his dissatisfaction with Moscow”s contacts with Hamas and the Lebanese Hizbullah party.

Vremya Novostei pointed out that Russia had recently expressed readiness to invite Hamas to visit Moscow within a Palestinian delegation to attend the Middle East peace conference.

A Russian foreign ministry spokesman was quoted by Novosti news agency as saying that foreign minister Sergey Lavrov said after meeting Khaled Mishaal, the Hamas leaders, in Damascus last Saturday that all concerned parties wanted to see a unified Palestinian delegation representing all Palestinians in the Moscow conference or any other international meeting.