PARIS: World leaders voiced hope Tuesday that the release of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit after more than five years in Hamas captivity would boost the Middle East peace process and ease regional tensions.
Elation was interspersed with relief in France at the release of Shalit, a dual French-Israeli national, whose freedom triggered the first releases of some 1,027 Palestinian prisoners being freed under an accord.
President Nicolas Sarkozy hailed the 24-year-old’s release as "a huge relief for France" and said that Shalit, captured by Gaza-based Palestinian militants in 2006, would "soon" travel to France.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton hailed the release as the "end of a long ordeal" adding that Shalit had been held "far too long."
German Chancellor Angela Merkel was among those who praised the Egyptian government for its role in mediating an agreement under which more than a thousand Palestinian prisoners will be freed.
And Turkey, which, like Egypt, has also seen its ties with Israel come under severe strain recently, said that it had been a major player in the exchange and helped ensure that Shalit emerged alive from his ordeal.
Britain’s Prime Minister David Cameron meanwhile praised his Israeli counterpart for agreeing to the deal under which some convicted killers are to walk free after serving only a fraction of their sentences.
"I congratulate Prime Minister Netanyahu and everyone involved for bringing him home safely, and hope this prisoner exchange will bring peace a step closer," Cameron said in a statement.
"We remain strongly committed to the cause of peace in the Middle East … We will continue to work for direct negotiations to achieve that end."
Italy’s Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said he hoped the release of Shalit would "open a new chapter of hope for peace in the Middle East."
"The prisoners’ exchange agreement … can be read as a message of peace and can serve to encourage a resumption of negotiations," he added in reference to the stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.
Hamas and the Arab League meanwhile called on Israel to release all Arab prisoners in its custody.
Arab League secretary general Nabil El-Arabi called in a statement for "the release of all Palestinian and Arab prisoners and detainees who are still being held by Israeli occupation forces."
And Hamas deputy chief Moussa Abu Marzuk warned that "Israel must realize it has to free our remaining prisoners. If they are not released normally, they will be released in other ways."
In Washington, Democratic minority leader in the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi said "this day is a cause for hope; yet it is also a reminder of our need for resolve."
Merkel’s hailed Egypt for its "crucial" role in arranging the swap and said it hoped it would improve relations between Israel and Cairo.
"It is to be hoped that Israel and Egypt’s successful collaboration in this regard will lead to a return to good-neighborly relations between the two countries after the period of recent tensions," her spokesman Steffan Seibert said.
Along with Jordan, Egypt is one of only two Arab neighbors who have diplomatic relations with Israel. However those ties have been severely strained in recent weeks, with a mob attacking the Israeli embassy in Cairo in retaliation for the killing of six border policemen in August.
Turkey, once the Jewish state’s closest friend in the Muslim world, has frozen some of its ties with its one-time ally since Israeli forces last year killed nine Turks in a raid on a flotilla carrying aid to Gaza.
However Bulent Arinc, Turkey’s deputy prime minister, said that it hoped the release would lead to an end to bloodshed.
"In this exchange… and in protecting the life of Shalit until today, Turkey made very significant contributions," Arinc told the Anatolia news agency, adding that Israel is "aware" of Turkey’s role but without elaborating.
"All our hope is silencing the weapons, stopping the blood and (making) Palestine… a more free, independent and secure state within its own borders."
Meanwhile Iran, Israel’s arch enemy, welcomed the mass release of Palestinian prisoners.
"Iran congratulates the Palestinian nation on the release of prisoners held captive by the illegitimate Zionist regime," said foreign ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast.
