Ambassador: Palestinian factions open to potential Moscow talks
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Palestinian Ambassador to Russia Abdel Hafiz Nofal emphasizes the positive relationship between Palestine and Russia.
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Ambassador of Palestine to Russia Abdel Hafiz Nofal at a news conference on the 70th anniversary of Nakba Day, at the Rossiya Segodnya International Multimedia Press Center in 2018. (Sputnik)
Palestinian Ambassador to Russia Abdel Hafiz Nofal said on Tuesday that Palestinian factions' are ready to engage in new rounds of intra-Palestinian discussions in Moscow when the timing is right, according to Sputnik.
This comes shortly after Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov conveyed Moscow's preparedness to facilitate a fresh round of inter-Palestinian talks at the recent St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.
"Palestine has good relations with the Russian Federation. Palestinian factions always welcome the opportunity to meet for a new round of dialogue in Moscow at an appropriate time, especially considering that previous rounds of inter-Palestinian dialogue have repeatedly taken place under the auspices of Russia," Nofal said.
After the March session, Palestinian factions were scheduled to gather for their subsequent meeting in Beijing by the end of June, according to the ambassador.
It is worth noting that a two-day conference involving all Palestinian factions was held in Moscow from February 29 to March 1. During this event, the factions committed to ongoing dialogues to foster national unity under the Palestine Liberation Organization recognized as the legitimate representative of the Palestinian people.
Putin: US 'monopolized' peace process, Gaza war is 'total destruction'
On June 6, Russian President Vladimir Putin addressed the ongoing Israeli war on the Gaza Strip, noting that it "does not look much like a war," rather, "it looks like is a total destruction of the civilian population."
This statement does not come isolated from a thread of conversation in which Putin began by noting "what is happening in Gaza now in response to that terrorist attack in Israel," adding that "we oppose terrorism in all its forms, including attacks against civilians in any place and in any country."
Moreover, Putin underscored that Washington was responsible for the escalation in the Middle East when it decided to attempt to solve the "crisis" single-handedly.
"We believe this is a result of US policy. They monopolized the peace process. They pushed aside all previously established mechanisms for collective efforts to solve this extremely difficult problem," Putin said adding "Perhaps someone in the US administration believes that the fewer opinions are there on the issue, the easier it would be to get the results, but they were obviously wrong."
Putin also reaffirmed Moscow's commitment to the two-state solution saying "It is not possible to solve the problem with some material offerings. The real issue, political matters, need to be resolved. This involves creating two states, as foreseen in the UN’s decision to establish two states in this territory – a Palestinian state and a Jewish state."
Read more: Egypt's Shoukry holds talks with Lavrov on Gaza ceasefire
