DAMASCUS, May 24 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's foreign minister said on Sunday that the Palestinian group Hamas has adopted a more realistic position in negotiations on a peace settlement with Israel.
Sergei Lavrov met in Damascus with Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal, who lives in Syria in exile, on Saturday.
"We have sensed a more realistic assessment of the situation on the part of Hamas, and have sensed the responsibility that Hamas feels for the fate of the Palestinian people," the Russian diplomat told reporters.
He noted that the situation along Gaza's border is now relatively calm, and that Palestinian militants have stopped firing rockets into Israel.
"We had earlier urged Hamas to maintain this calm. The best outcome would be for a formal ceasefire to be signed," he said.
The minister said Moscow welcomes British Foreign Secretary David Miliband's recent statement that countries should negotiate directly with Hamas.
"We have always believed that reasonable thinking would sooner or later win over, and we welcome this," Lavrov said.
Russia is the only member of the Quartet of Mideast peace negotiators that negotiates with Hamas. The other three mediators are the United States, the European Union, and the United Nations.
Moscow has proposed holding a Middle East peace conference this year as a follow-up to the November 2007 Annapolis conference. However, neither Hamas nor Lebanese group Hezbollah are expected to send delegates.
On Saturday, Lavrov attended the first session of a three-day Organization of the Islamic Conference foreign ministers' meeting in the Syrian capital.
