Palestinian President Abbas meets Russian President Medvedev

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(22 Dec 2008) SHOTLIST • 1. Wide of Kremlin tower ++NIGHT SHOT++ • 2. Mid of Saviour's Tower Clock ++NIGHT SHOT++ • 3. Interior shot of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev arriving and shaking hands with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas • 4. Medvedev, Abbas and delegates sitting down at roundtable • 5. Mid of Medvedev • 6. Mid of Abbas and delegates • 7. Mid of Abbas • 8. Reporters taking notes • 9. Wide of roundtable • 10. Photographer • 11. Wide of news conference • 12. SOUNDBITE: (Arabic with Russian translation) Mahmoud Abbas, Palestinian President: • If you mean Palestinian elections, we are resolute to hold them at the nearest favourable opportunity. Under the election law, elections to the National Assembly and of president should be held simultaneously. • 13. SOUNDBITE: (Arabic with Russian translation) Mahmoud Abbas, Palestinian President: • Now on the trip to Chechnya. When I was in Saudi Arabia a couple of weeks ago, doing the Hajj pilgrimage there, I met Ramzan Kadyrov, the president. We had a long talk on various problems and he invited me to visit Chechen Republic. I accepted the invitation with gratitude. So I visited Grozny and I enjoyed this trip. I also had a conversation with your correspondent and answered all of his questions. • 14. Mid of Abbas and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov • STORYLINE • Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas have discussed ways to cooperate on peace in the Middle East during a meeting in the Kremlin on Monday, and Abbas suggested he would call elections at home soon. • Russia is a member of the so-called Quartet seeking to broker peace in the Middle East, along with the United States, the European Union and the United Nations. • Unlike other Quartet members, Russia recognises the legitimacy of Hamas, the Islamic party that controls the Gaza Strip. That could give Russia considerable influence as mediator. • Afterwards, Abbas held a joint news conference with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. • Questioned by a reporter there, Abbas said he planned to hold elections at the nearest favourable opportunity - both parliamentary and presidential elections. • His comments signal that he's ready for a new showdown with Hamas, who contend that his term as president ends on January 8. • Abbas initially said he has another year, but polls indicate most Palestinians disagree with him. • A call for elections appears to be the only way for Abbas to retain his legitimacy. However, it remains unclear whether he actually intends to hold them, or just plans to call for a vote as a tactical move, with the expectation that Hamas would refuse to go along. • Abbas also spoke about his visit to the Russian region of Chechnya as part of his three-day trip, which began on Saturday. • He told Medvedev he enjoyed the trip. • • Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork • Twitter: / ap_archive • Facebook: / aparchives • Instagram: / apnews • • • You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...

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