KuwaitSamachar

Hamas political bureau chief Khaled Meshaal met Monday with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov for talks on reconciliation efforts between Fatah and the Islamic resistance movement.

"We met to pursue our discussions, and our principal goal is to build on efforts brokered by Egypt to secure Palestinian unity," Lavrov told reporters at the start of talks with Meshaal.

Meshaal praised Russia for seeking a "reconciliation" between Hamas and Fatah movement of Palestinian Authority Chief Mahmud Abbas.

In a newspaper interview published Monday, Meshaal accused the United States of attempting to sabotage reconciliation efforts.

"We know that the US special envoy to the Middle East, George Mitchell, has recently put pressure on Mahmud Abbas and Egyptian officials," he told Russian daily Vremya Novostei.

"If Abbas reconciles with us then the United States will halt aid to the Palestinian administration."

"Russia wants unity in the Palestinian ranks -- the Americans don't care about this," he told the paper.

Meshaal has visited Moscow on two previous occasions, in March 2006 and February 2007. He was scheduled to hold a news conference at 1300 GMT.

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