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| Europe |
| Marked silence follows Russia's earlier Mideast flurry |
| 2006-08-09 |
| Not so long ago it looked as if Russia wanted to carve out for itself a key role as mediator in the Middle East conflict. The Kremlin began by inviting the extremist Hamas party to talks in Moscow in March. That was followed by a cash injection for the Palestinian Authority after Western governments suspended their aid following Hamas' election victory. But in the current conflict in Lebanon the Kremlin has surprised many observers by its reticence. Apart from calling for an immediate ceasefire, President Vladimir Putin has not said anything of significance for weeks on the fighting between Israel and the militant Lebanese group Hezbollah - although his remarks would have a wide reach in the Islamic world. Independent Middle East experts in Russia are convinced that Moscow's position on the conflict in Lebanon consists of having none at all. 'Moscow is trying to be a mediator between radical Islamists and the rest of the world, but in reality can achieve nothing,' Alexei Malashenko of the Carnegie Moscow Center said. Malashenko noted that Russia's position on international conflicts is usually diametrically opposed to that of the United States. At the UN Security Council, the Russian position so far has been that only a resolution serving Lebanon's interest can end the conflict. In the past Russia has also usually supported Israel's enemies. Syria and Iran are key customers for Russian armaments and at the G8 summit in St Petersburg in July, Putin succeeded in having remarks criticizing Syria and Iran for backing Hezbollah kept out of the final declaration. But the parallels end there. Hamas and Hezbollah no longer appear on Moscow's list of international terrorist organizations and anger is growing in Russia over Washington's attempts to 'democratize' the Middle East, which it sees as sowing the seeds of further tensions in the region. In surveys, every second Russian names Israel or the US as responsible for the current fighting in Lebanon, with only one in seven seeing Hezbollah as the instigators. Despite Russia' reserve on the hostilities, Russia is expected to support the UN resolution on Lebanon and the deployment of an international peacekeeping force. 'In the end Moscow has no interest in being internationally isolated over the Middle East,' Malashenko says. |
| Posted by:Nimble Spemble |