Palestinian president arrives in Chechnya for talks

Grozny, Russia: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas arrived in Russia's trouble Chechnya region on Sunday.

Abbas was welcomed by Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov at the airport in the capital Grozny, before heading to his residence for talks.

Kadyrov is seen by Chechens as dedicated to the revival of the Muslim religion and has met several influential Muslim leaders from Arab states.

"We feel at home here. We thank the Almighty that we came to the Chechen Republic," Abbas told journalists through an interpreter.

Kadyrov held talks with Abbas during the haj pilgrimage to Makkah in Saudi Arabia earlier this month.

A Kremlin spokesman in Moscow said Abbas would stay in Russia until December 22, when he was due to hold talks with President Dmitry Medvedev.