Vowing commitment to Palestinians people's rights and interests, Abu Zuhri said that Hamas would not be deterred by Israeli threats.

The Hamas spokesman made the remarks shortly after Mofaz said earlier in the day that Israel's policy of targeted killing has proven effective and would continue.

Mofaz said that if Hamas were to renew its attacks on Israel, Hamas leaders including Haneya would not be immune from the killings.

After Hamas won a parliamentary election in January with 74seats in the new Palestinian legislature, Haneya was tasked by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Feb. 21 to form the next government within five weeks.

In the past two years, two Hamas leaders Sheikh Ahmed Yassin and Abdelaziz al-Rantissi were killed in Israeli targeted airstrikes.

He was quoted as telling the daily Vremya Novostei that the visit "broke the blockade which Israel and the United States have been trying to impose on us."

"At the Russian Foreign Ministry we felt that we were being understood," he said.

Russia's invitation to Hamas, extended by President Vladimir Putin, was the first crack in an international front against the group, which has sent dozens of suicide bombers to Israel. It provoked anger in Israel and surprise among the other members of the so-called Quartet of Middle East mediators - the United States, the European Union and United Nations - which had agreed to withhold international recognition from the radical Islamic movement until it moderated its stance.

Mashaal struck an uncompromising stance right after his arrival in Moscow, saying Hamas would not discuss recognizing Israel. He later said the Jewish state must first withdraw from territories occupied in 1967 and allow the return of Palestinian refugees, among other conditions, if it wants peace.

Russia insisted that it was acting on behalf of the entire Quartet, conveying its demand to Hamas to reject violence and recognize Israel. The Russian Foreign Ministry said after the talks that Hamas promised to maintain a year-old cease-fire if Israel refrains from force.

In interviews with Russian media, Mashaal did not mention a promise to extend the cease-fire, and in a separate interview with Al-Jazeera television, he indicated the group had made no such promise.

"Is it reasonable to pressure the Palestinians to renew the truce? No. Go to Israel, exert pressure on it. It is the reason for the problem," he told Al-Jazeera.

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal, who also announced that a Hamas delegation would visit Riyadh within the next few days, expressed similar views on giving Hamas time to govern.

"France and Saudi Arabia have identical views in terms of giving sufficient time to the Hamas-led government," the minister said. "Saudi Arabia has put no conditions on Hamas. We are going to meet them and we hope that as a government, they will represent the interests of the Palestinian people."

Prince Saud said it was important to see what the Palestinian leadership does in its new democratic role. Saudi Arabia has joined other Gulf states in refusing to cut aid to Hamas.

The Kingdom will be the second country to receive a Hamas delegation after one visited Russia at the invitation of President Vladimir Putin.

"I do not see why we should impose sanctions when their brunt will be borne by the poor Palestinian people," said Chirac.

The French president, however, urged Hamas to meet the demands of the Middle East Quartet - comprising the United States, European Union, the United Nations and Russia - to renounce violence as a means of achieving its goals.

Chirac, who held 75-minute talks with Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah again on Sunday night, was hopeful of more cooperation in defense, oil, commercial and cultural sectors. The French president also pointed out that his country supported the Kingdom's accession to the WTO.

In reply to the question about the much-publicized multibillion security deals involving the plan to sell French Rafale fighters and Miksa electronic border-monitoring systems to Saudi Arabia, Chirac said Saudi Arabia was studying the French proposals for "cooperation in defense and security".

"All of this is taking place in an excellent climate," he said.

According to reports, the proposed deal involves the purchase of 48 French fighters with an option for 48 more valued at $7.2 billion. The other potential deal involves the border-monitoring system under which French defense manufacturer Thales has proposed to supply 225 radars to the Kingdom in a staggered 12-year schedule. The sale includes a telecommunications network, reconnaissance aircraft and about 20 helicopters at a cost of $8.4 billion.

Referring to the growing commercial relations between Riyadh and Paris, Chirac said he was pleased by the contacts established between more than a dozen French businessmen accompanying him and their Saudi counterparts.

he printing company said it had formed a technological partnership with French and Dutch companies to produce the new passports within five weeks of getting a firm order from the French interior ministry.

Currently, thousands of French citizens who have had new passports issued since October last year without microchips containing facial data have had to apply for visas for travel to the United States, a process that takes several months.

Several other countries have already started issuing biometric passports which allow the bearers of 27 states -- most of them European -- to enter the United States without a visa for tourism or short-term business trips.

France's own roll-out of the new passports was held up because of a labour dispute sparked by the interior ministry's decision to ask a private company to produce the new passports instead of the state printing firm.

Cuba has not allowed Chanet to visit the island since she became the commission's Cuba expert three years ago. She said her attempts to contact the government this year went unanswered.

But she said she learned from other sources that "in 2005 more people were arrested and given disproportionate sentences for expressing dissident political opinions."

U.S. officials were not immediately available to comment, but they have previously defended the embargo as a legitimate tool to "accelerate democratic change in Cuba."

Cuban officials also were not immediately available for comment.

"The extreme tension between Cuba and the United States of America has created a climate which is far from conducive to the development of freedom of expression and freedom of assembly," said Chanet.

She noted nearly 80 people were arrested and given long prison sentences in "the unprecedented wave of repression that was unleashed in March-April 2003 in Cuba" in retaliation for U.S. encouragement of the political opposition, and she names the 60 people still in prison.

But, she said, "It is impossible to ignore the disastrous and lasting economic and social effects - compounded in 2004 - of the embargo imposed on the Cuban population over 40 years ago, as well as its impacts on civil and political rights."

Tighter restrictions imposed by the United States in May 2004 have increased the scope of the embargo, Chanet said.

The United States has had economic sanctions against Cuba since President John F. Kennedy imposed them in 1963, four years after Castro came to power.

She said prison officers did not understand Muslim inmates' social and religious behaviour.

Ms Owers also voiced concerns that four remand prisoners on terror charges were allowed to associate only in pairs and were banned from communal Friday prayers.

Another unnamed inmate facing terror charges was kept in a separate secure unit with a "dedicated group of staff", her report revealed.

The chief inspector said: "The prison's high security and special security units were at full stretch, holding among others those suspected of the failed suicide bomb attempts of July."

It is believed to be the first time the chief prisons inspector has referred to specific prisoners in a report.

About 100 of Belmarsh's 900 inmates are Muslim, with high-profile terror suspects held in the high security "jail within a jail" at the south east London site.

At the time of the inspector's visit last October, four terror suspects were held in a special secure unit in one spur of the high security unit.

They were under a "special programme" of supervised access to shared facilities, allowed to associate only in pairs and were not allowed to attend Friday prayers with others.

Nine standard-risk Category A inmates - including eight awaiting trial for the July 21 attempted bombings - were on another spur of the unit.

There was also an additional special secure unit holding one man facing terror charges.

He had a cell, a small multi-gym, separate visits suite and a dedicated group of staff, but the unit provided a "very poor quality of life", inspectors said, and called for a review of his accommodation arrangements.

In all, there were five Category A inmates classed as "exceptional risk" - the only prisoners in the country to be in this highest category.

Ms Owers said: "It is vital that prisons understand the prisoners they hold, and can assess the relationships between and within different groups of prisoners, in order to be able to manage them safely.

"We did not believe this was the case for staff in relation to Muslim prisoners at Belmarsh, in spite of the efforts of a competent and trusted imam."

Ms Owers said there was "insufficient staff understanding of (Muslims') interactions and needs".

The report said: "Managers and staff believed that some younger Muslim prisoners were intimidating others into what was essentially a gang-related, rather than religious, affiliation.

"On the other hand, young Muslim prisoners were concerned that ordinary social and religious behaviour on their part was misinterpreted by staff as being problematic."

The report went on: "Although Afro-Caribbean prisoners did not think there was overt staff racism, Muslim prisoners felt their treatment by staff had worsened since the recent terrorist incidents.

"There were reports of intimidatory behaviour within the Muslim prisoner population not coming to the attention of staff because of poor staff-Muslim prisoner relationships."

Belmarsh is a complex prison which serves as a local prison and a specialist maximum security jail, Ms Owers noted.

Overall, the prison was "making progress", she said, but she made 127 recommendations for improvement.

Prison Service director general Phil Wheatley said: "The chief inspector acknowledges some of the positive strides Belmarsh has taken since the last inspection.

"Excellent working relationships between the multi-faith chaplaincy team, staff and managers enables them to work together to ensure the diverse faiths and cultural needs of prisoners can be met.

"What is important for Belmarsh is not to be diverted by issues specific to a small number of prisoners but to concentrate on maximising the quality of life and successful resettlement for all."

He added: "The prison is undergoing a comprehensive performance improvement and review to achieve this and I am encouraged by the determination amongst staff at all levels to succeed."

Commenting on facilities for Muslim inmates, Prisons Handbook editor Mark Leech said: "Despite their alleged serious offences, these prisoners have the same rights as anyone else.

"They have not been convicted of any offences yet and we need to be vigilant that we do not create our own Guantanamo Bay inside Belmarsh prison."

A Prison Service spokeswoman said: "Belmarsh takes the issue of faith very seriously. In a prison where 17 different religious faiths are represented, great care is taken to ensure that staff are aware of the cultural and religious issues affecting prisoners.

"The multi-faith centre at Belmarsh is an excellent resource that is used and enjoyed by many prisoners and representatives of all faiths.

"The chaplaincy team includes two imams who work hard to create and maintain a positive environment for worship.

"At the time of the inspection, four Category A prisoners were considered to be an exceptional risk and were undergoing an assessment process.

"Following this rigorous risk assessment the four prisoners were allowed to take part in communal worship."