(Washington Post) Peter Finn - Russian President Vladimir Putin described the electoral victory of the radical Islamic group Hamas as "a big blow to American efforts in the Middle East," but he said Russia would not support any efforts to cut off financial assistance to the Palestinians. "Our position on Hamas is different from that of the United States and Western Europe," said Putin. "The Russian Foreign Ministry has never regarded Hamas as a terrorist organization."
2006-02-02 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive