Russia attempts to reconcile Palestinian president, Dahlan
Russia may discuss with President Mahmoud Abbas during his visit to Moscow this month the issue of reconciliation with Fatah’s dismissed leader Mohammed Dahlan, who visited Russia recently, but developments on the ground do not bode well.
RAMALLAH, West Bank — The visit of the dismissed Fatah leader Mohammed Dahlan to Russia Nov. 2 and his meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov raised questions about the visit’s agenda and timing, as it preceded the visit of President Mahmoud Abbas to Moscow scheduled for Nov. 23.
A Fatah leader told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity that contacts were made with Russian officials who told us that "Dahlan’s visit came at the request of the United Arab Emirates [UAE]. This is why some fear that its aim is to sabotage the upcoming visit of President Abbas.”
He said that Dahlan might have urged Russia to intervene with Abbas in order to bring about a reconciliation within the Fatah movement.
On Nov. 5, Turkish Anadolu Agency quoted Dimitri Diliani, a leader close to Dahlan, as saying, “Russia is mediating to bring about a reconciliation within the Fatah movement, and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is mediating and deploying efforts to put an end to the Fatah division between Dahlan’s current and Abbas’ Fatah movement.”
