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Hamas says it will honor peace accords if Israel reciprocates

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MOSCOW, March 3 (RIA Novosti) - Hamas said it was willing to fulfill all the agreements on the Middle East peace process struck by the Palestinian National Authority and Israel on condition Israel reciprocated, Russia's foreign minister said Friday.

"The Hamas leaders said they would honor earlier agreements, including the roadmap and the Arab Peace Initiative, which stipulate recognizing Israel in exchange for resolving all issues [connected with] the occupation, but insisted the moves must be reciprocal," Sergei Lavrov said.

Lavrov said he was satisfied with the talks, adding that Hamas felt responsibility for maintaining order and peace in Palestinian lands.

According to Lavrov, Khaled Meshaal, who is leading the Palestinian delegation on the current Moscow visit, said his organization was willing to cooperate with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas in tackling problems facing the PNA and maintaining security.

"We conveyed to the Hamas officials the Quartet's position that the agreements laid down in the international mediators' statement in January 2006 must be fulfilled and Israel's right to be a partner in [peace] talks must be recognized, and violence renounced in addressing political issues," Lavrov said.

He said that the Hamas leaders had realized their responsibility for peace in the region, for promoting a process that must culminate in establishing a Palestinian state as a peaceful and prosperous neighbor of Israel.

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