MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION

INFORMATION AND PRESS DEPARTMENT
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A major press conference given by President Vladimir Putin for the Russian
and foreign media has taken place at the Kremlin, Moscow, January 31, 2006

Transcript of the Press Conference for the Russian and Foreign Media
President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Good afternoon dear ladies and
gentlemen!
...
Mohammed Amro (Al-Jazeera): Mr President!
After Hamas' victory in the Middle East there have been certain statements
from the west threatening to stop or diminish the help they give the
Palestinian population.
Will your position on this issue change? And do you agree with the opinion
that what is happening now in the Middle East is the failure of American
diplomacy?
Thank you.

Vladimir Putin: It is a big setback, an important setback for American
efforts in the Middle East. A very serious setback.

I think that if we want to resolve these difficult global problems than we
must only do so together and not invite the participants in the process to
pull the chestnuts out of the fire, but rather sit down together and to
listen to each other right from the beginning and to take corresponding
decisions.

Our position concerning Hamas differs from the American and western European
positions. The foreign ministry of the Russian Federation never declared
that Hamas is a terrorist organization. But this does not mean that we
approve and support everything that Hamas does and all the declarations that
they have made recently. We think that it is one thing when this political
force was the opposition and trying to get into power and we know that
throughout the whole world very often the opposition makes very radical
statements. It is another thing when it receives the people's vote of
confidence and must make sure that the people who believed in this movement
feel the positive results of their authorities' work. And for this it is
necessary to leave behind the extremist positions, to recognize Israel's
right to exist and to have relations with the international community.

We call on Hamas to do these very things. In any case we would consider
refusing to help the Palestinian people a mistake.

.......