Hamas team to visit Moscow soon
Alexander Kalugin, Russia's envoy to the Middle East, has said he expects a delegation from Hamas to visit Moscow later this month.
Speaking to Aljazeera on Friday, Kalugin said "the Russian side would urge Hamas to negotiate with Israel on the basis of previous agreements".
Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, made an unexpected move on Thursday in announcing he was planning to invite Hamas leaders to Moscow for talks in a bid to deter a fresh conflict in the region.
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Condoleezza Rice, the US secretary of State, won assurances from Russia on Friday that Moscow would send a firm message to Hamas that the resistance group must change if it wants world support, the State Department said.
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/27C30BAE-6953-47D1-B0B1-F76E07AF9591.htm