Berlusconi to explain Russia's Hamas policy to Bush
AFP
Date: 02-27-06
WASHINGTON (AFP) - Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi will try, during a meeting this week with US President George W. Bush, to shed light on Russia's policy toward the radical Palestinian group Hamas, a US magazine reported.
Russian president Vladimir Putin has invited Hamas' leaders to Moscow for talks following the group's landslide election victory last month.
The invite has been met with consternataion in some quarters, but Russian officials have emphasized that they will urge Hamas to renounce violence and recognize the state of Israel.
"I'd like to explain what he's trying to do vis-a-vis Hamas," Berlusconi said of Putin, in an interview with Newsweek.
"None of us (in the United States or the EU) can negotiate with Hamas, because we included it on the blacklist of terrorist organizations, and you do not negotiate with terrorists. But (Russia) did not do this," Berlusconi said.
"I think this approach can be the road to starting negotiations. I also rely on the fact that the Hamas leaders now understand they have government responsibilities," Berlusconi said.
Bush will meet Berlusconi on Tuesday, when the two leaders "will discuss a range of issues on the transatlantic agenda, including peace and security in the Middle East region, energy security, and assistance to the people of Iran and Afghanistan," according to a White House statement last week.
Bush and Berlusconi last met at the White House on October 31.
The Italian leader, a close friend of the Bush family, hosted First Lady Laura Bush and the US delegation to the Winter Olympic Games at a luncheon near Rome earlier this month.
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