By NNN-KUNA
Moscow : Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has said that he was relieved over talks he held with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
Abbas comments came as he wrapped up a three-day visit to Moscow where he received the support of Putin, as the international community has lined up behind Abbas and the West Bank-based government he installed after Hamas grappled control of Gaza in June.
Putin told Abbas Tuesday that he was the legitimate leader of all Palestinians, as the Palestinian president continued a key visit to Russia seeking support for his government in his standoff with the radical Islamic group Hamas.
Abbas said during a news conference at the end of the visit that talks also evolved around bilateral relations, tasks of the International Quartet and the possibility of holding an international conference to discuss peace in the Mideast region.
He told reporters that parliamentary and presidential elections should be held "as soon as possible", but no date had been decided.
Last year, Moscow, a member of the Quartet of Mideast negotiators, attracted Israel's and Western nations' fury by hosting Hamas' leadership for talks.
The Quartet also includes the United States, the United Nations and the European Union.
Abbas has been viewed as using the Moscow trip to garner support for his Fatah movement and his government in the standoff.