Gorbachev blasts US, urges patience on Hamas

Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev on Monday warned the United States against unilateralism in global affairs and hailed the Kremlin's invitation for Hamas to visit Moscow, criticizing the West for trying to shun the organization. Gorbachev said the United States had failed to use the end of the Cold War for purposes of global development and abused its position as the world's only superpower. "There is only one superpower now and it doesn't know what to do with its status," Gorbachev said at a meeting with foreign reporters. "As a result, we got Yugoslavia and Iraq, and the situation has only got worse." Gorbachev also strongly backed Russian President Vladimir Putin's invitation to Hamas to visit Moscow, saying that the move offers an opportunity to draw the it into the peace process. "It offers a chance," Gorbachev said. "It must be supported by common efforts." Gorbachev criticized the US approach to Hamas' victory, saying that attempts to isolate the group that swept the elections were a manifestation of "double standards."