PRESIDENT Mahmoud Abbas was among up to 30 world leaders on Saturday to attend a huge military parade in Moscow commemorating Russia’s 70th anniversary of victory over Nazi Germany.
Around 16,000 troops took part in the parade on Red Square that showcased cutting edge weapons such as the next-generation Armata T-14 tank, in one of the biggest Victory Day celebrations in decades.
The Soviet Union lost an estimated 27 million soldiers and civilians in WWII – more than any other country – and the Red Army’s triumph remains an enormous source of national pride.
The most high-profile guests on the podium next to Russian President Vladimir Putin were Chinese leader Xi Jinping, United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon, and India’s President Pranab Mukherjee.
Other leaders in attendance included President Abbas, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi of Egypt, Raul Castro of Cuba, Nicolas Maduro of Venezuela, Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe and Jacob Zuma of South Africa.
President Abbas said of Saturday’s events, ‘It is a pleasure for me to take part in the victory celebrations by an invitation from the Russian leadership.’ the Palestinian Authority news agency Wafa reported.
He was accompanied by senior PLO official Nabil Shaath, the Palestinian ambassador to Russia Faed Mustafa, and the head of the Palestinian-Russian Friendship Association.
During his speech, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin stressed the need to uphold the principles that have formed the cornerstone of the world order that emerged following WWII.
Stressing that ‘Nazi Germany has taught the international community a harsh lesson,’ Putin stated, ‘seventy years after WWII, we don’t have to forget that the concept of racial supremacy and exclusiveness have resulted in the most bloody wars.’
He added that the principles forming the cornerstone of the world order whose institutions have proven effective in the settlement of disputes and conflicts have been disregarded for the last few decades.
Abbas’ visit is the second in less than a month.
He visited Moscow on April 14, when he took the opportunity to slam Israel’s ‘longstanding policy of deception’.
He stated that ‘The world is still witnessing Israel’s aggression and racism against the Palestinian people’ and that ‘Israel is still acting as a rogue; placing itself above international law and continuing its occupation of Palestinian territories.’
He continued: ‘Israel is still maintaining its long-standing policy of conducting a meaningless vicious circle of negotiations in an effort to shirk the prerequisites of just and comprehensive peace, gain time and impose a fait accompli to make it impossible to establish the future Palestinian state.’
He also met with Putin at the Russian leader’s Novo-Ogaryovo residence outside Moscow.
According to Wafa, Putin stated: ‘It’s a pleasure to note that relations between Palestine and Russia have been growing steadily and are constantly, step-by-step, becoming stronger.’
He added: ‘Now, when the situation in the region has become more complicated, of course, it is particularly important to consult with you on all the issues at hand.’
Russia, which is widely involved in Middle East politics, has long sought to maintain good relations with both Palestine and Israel.
According to British think-tank Chatham House, the main goal in Russian activity in the region ‘is to exact leverage over the West, as Moscow’s assistance may play a crucial role in the settlement of major issues,’ including Iran’s nuclear programme and the Syrian conflict.
The Chatham House report, issued in April, noted that this is particularly important so as to avoid ‘international isolation in the wake of sanctions over the Ukraine crisis.’
Regarding Israel and Palestine, the report said: ‘The Russian authorities do not want to sacrifice their political and economic contacts with Israel. Bilateral trade reached $4.6 billion in 2014.’
The report concluded: ‘Any intensification of Russian efforts towards Palestinian independence may make the Israelis reconsider their ties with Moscow.’
While many Western nations have condemned Moscow’s involvement in Ukraine and imposed heavy sanctions, Israel has remained neutral and abstained from all sanctions.
• The European Union spokesperson on Saturday slammed Israel’s latest settlement construction decision on an East Jerusalem settlement, stating that Israel’s insistence on settlement construction calls into question its commitment to a negotiated agreement with the Palestinians.
‘Israel’s determination to continue its settlement policy despite the urging of the international community, not only threatens the viability of the two state solution but also seriously calls into question its commitment to a negotiated agreement with the Palestinians,’ said the spokesperson in a statement.
The spokesperson affirmed that, ‘the EU and its member states are committed to ensure continued, full and effective implementation of existing EU legislation and bilateral arrangements applicable to settlements,’ stressing that settlements are illegal under international law.
The Israeli District Planning and Building Committee last week took a decision allowing for further settlement expansion in Ramat Shlomo East Jerusalem settlement.
On November 2014, the EU’s Foreign Ministers unanimously expressed their concerns at the announcement of new housing units and called on Israel to reverse that decision.
• US Secretary of State John Kerry said last Friday that Washington and the Gulf nations were hammering out a new set of security initiatives in the Middle East to be further discussed at a summit next week.
Kerry met in Paris with his counterparts from Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia to lay the groundwork for a meeting of their leaders with President Barack Obama on May 13.
Washington is keen to allay Gulf fears that the US is increasingly disengaging from a region riven by conflict, and that Iran could still develop a nuclear bomb under a international accord currently being finalised.
The Paris meeting focused on crises in the Middle East as well as concerns among Gulf monarchies over Iran’s growing influence in the region.
Kerry said the Camp David meeting would focus on ‘the threat of regional terrorism, the metastasising of various terrorist organisations, the challenge of Iranian support in some of those particular conflicts.
‘We are fleshing out a series of new commitments that will create between the US and GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) a new security understanding, a new set of security initiatives that will take us beyond anything that we have had before.’
While he did not give any details on the planned initiative he said that both sides were working together to ‘strengthen the moderate opposition in Syria’ against the Islamic State group and Bashar al-Assad’s regime.
Kerry also reassured the Gulf foreign ministers over nuclear talks with their rival Iran, and Washington’s commitment to the region.
‘Let me be very clear also: Our effort to find a diplomatic solution to the nuclear issue with respect to Iran does not stem from any lessening of our concerns about all of these other destabilizing events within the region and it’s obvious to all I think that it’s easier to address those events if the potential of a nuclear weapon has been eliminated from the equation.’
Gulf states are also increasingly concerned about Iran’s growing influence in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Yemen.
Iran has repeatedly denied Saudi allegations it is arming Huthi rebels in Yemen.
Backing a Saudi call for a five-day humanitarian ceasefire in Yemen starting Tuesday, Kerry urged ‘those who have been supportive of the Huthi’ rebels – hinting at Iran – ‘to encourage them to lay down arms’.
Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said Friday’s discussions on Iran alone took over two hours, with Kerry giving the ministers an extensive briefing on the technical aspects of the nuclear deal being finalised between Iran and the P5 1 powers (Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States plus Germany).
