Hamas: We won't thwart Egypt's role in Shalit swap

Hamas: We won't thwart Egypt's role in Shalit swap

By Avi Issacharoff, Haaretz Correspondent

Hamas on Sunday denied reports that the Palestinian militant group plans on ousting Egypt from its role as mediator of talks with Israel over the release of abducted Israel Defense Forces soldier Gilad Shalit. Hamas spokesman Ismail Radwan announced this in an official statement in response to comments by various sources in the organization. They charged that Hamas will not allow Cairo to continue its role in the negotiations due to Israel's violation of the terms of a three-month truce in the Gaza Strip, in particular over commitments relating to border crossings. A number of media reports even stated that Hamas was planning to request that the German mediators who brokered July's Hezbollah-Israel prisoner swap replace Egypt in the talks.
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Shalit was kidnapped by Gaza militants in a cross-border raid in June 2006. A senior Hamas official said last month that Hamas was not interested in renewing talks to free Shalit as long as Israel fails to completely lift its blockade of the Gaza Strip and to remove obstacles to the free transfer of goods between Israel and Gaza. Since then, Hamas has jacked up the number of Palestinian prisoners it wants Israel to release in exchange for kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit, from 1,000 to 1,500, according to a senior government source.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1019143.html