WASHINGTON, Feb 11: The United States said on Friday it had accepted Russia’s move to meet the Palestinian group Hamas after Moscow gave assurances it would press the militants to renounce armed struggle against Israel.

State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said Washington respected the ‘sovereign decision’ of Russian President Vladimir Putin to offer talks with Hamas after the movement’s shock win in Palestinian elections last month.

His comments came after Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice phoned her Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov to discuss Moscow’s opening to Hamas, which is expected to form the next Palestinian government.

Russia and the United States, United Nations and European Union — the diplomatic quartet — have demanded Hamas ‘renounce violence’, recognise Israel’s right to exist and respect prior agreements with the Jewish state.

“Should the Russian government follow through and have a meeting with Hamas, have some contact with Hamas, we’ve been assured that they will send that message that is contained in the quartet statement,” Mr McCormack said.

He said the Russians promised to send ‘the very clear, strong signal that is outlined in the quartet (text) that Hamas has a choice to make and it must meet the conditions as outlined by the quartet’.

Washington, which lists Hamas as a terrorist group, reacted warily on Thursday after President Putin unveiled his initiative. US officials admitted they were caught by surprise and sought ‘clarification’ of Russia’s intentions.

The Russian move came with the United States and its allies threatening to cut aid to the Palestinian Authority if Hamas takes the reins following its landslide win in the Jan 25 legislative polls.

The quartet statement issued last week in London said only it was ‘inevitable’ aid would be reviewed. But Russia, which does not consider Hamas to be terrorists, later came out against any cuts in assistance.—AFP