Egyptian efforts to release captured Israeli soldier in Gaza gain speed
CAIRO/GAZA CITY: President Hosni Mubarak on Sunday said the response to Israel s aggression against Lebanon revealed the weakness of the United Nations. The month-long Israeli offensive in Lebanon sparked fury in the Arab and Muslim world, not only against Israel but also towards the international reaction, Mubarak said during a military ceremony in northern Egypt. The biggest loss was the deterioration of the situation in the Middle East because of this aggression and the disappointment of populations in the region that seek peace, security and stability, he added. Israel launched a massive military operation against Lebanon on July 12 following a border attack by the Lebanese militia Hezbollah in which eight soldiers were killed and two were abducted. The conflict killed some 1,200 Lebanese, mainly civilians, and 160 Israelis, mostly soldiers, before a UN-brokered truce was reached after weeks of intense diplomatic bargaining. The crisis revealed the flaws and the bias of the international system … the weakness of international security, and the United Nations and the Security Council s inability to react speedily and efficiently, Mubarak was quoted as saying by the official MENA news agency. The UN is deploying a peacekeeping force in south Lebanon that could reach 15,000 troops. Despite his criticism, Mubarak had refused to freeze relations with Israel, with which Egypt signed a peace treaty in 1979, saying the contact had helped resolve the crisis.
Efforts to secure the release of an Israeli soldier captured by militants in the Gaza Strip appeared to be gaining speed Sunday, with reports that Israel may release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in return for the serviceman. Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniya, of the ruling Islamist Hamas movement, confirmed published reports that Egypt was mediating talks on a prisoner swap between Israel and armed groups in Gaza who seized the soldier. The Egyptians are making a lot of efforts. There are certain things going on to solve this question but there is nothing specific, Haniya said during a visit to a school in Gaza. We hope the Egyptian efforts succeed, he said.Hamas armed wing was one of the three groups in Gaza to have claimed responsibility for the June 25 cross-border raid in which two soldiers were killed and a third, Corporal Gilad Shalit, captured.
On Saturday, President Hosni Mubarak told the leading state-owned daily Al-Ahram that talks were under way to release the soldier in exchange for Palestinian women and children in Israeli jails. The Cairo weekly Akhbar Al-Youm quoted Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul-Gheit as saying that Egypt was trying to secure the release of 1,000 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for Shalit, while Israel s mass-selling Yediot Aharonot daily reported the possible release of 800 prisoners. Quoting unnamed security officials, the paper said that Israel would free the prisoners in three stages and that the negotiations were being held up over the timetable of the releases. Israel has refused as part of the deal to release Marwan Barghouti, a leader of the Palestinian uprising and a senior figure in President Mahmoud Abbas Fatah faction, it said.
Top-level Israeli envoy Ofer Dekel was recently dispatched to Cairo by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to discuss Shalit s release, Israeli public radio said Sunday.
Egypt is conducting negotiations with Palestinian factions and with Israel and us in the government, said acting Palestinian finance minister Samir Abu Eisheh to the AFP. Our position is to support these Egyptian efforts to solve the issue of the Israeli soldier and Palestinian prisoners, he said. We heard that a resolution was near but we do not have any details as we are not party to these negotiations. Shalit s father, Noam, also told AFP that talks over his son s release was underway. There are indirect contacts by Egyptian intermediaries. For the moment there is no progress, but I hope there will be some soon. That would be normal, after 70 days that Shalit has been missing, he said. I have periodic contacts with the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, but for the moment I haven t any and I think Hamas political arm in Damascus holds the key to the situation. Hamas political supremo, Khaled Meshaal, has lived in Syria since 1999 when he was expelled from Jordan after being accused of threatening the country s security and stability. Asked to comment on Sunday s reports of a prisoner swap, a spokeswoman for Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told AFP Sunday: We do not talk with terrorists. The Jewish state has officially demanded Shalit s unconditional release, but local media have reported that talks have been under way for some time. Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said last month that Israel would negotiate for the release of two soldiers whose capture by Hezbollah militants on July 12 sparked the Israeli offensive in Lebanon. That announcement marked the first time an Israeli official publicly said that the Jewish state would negotiate for the release of the pair, after previously demanding the servicemen s unconditional release. Agencies
