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Last update - 12:23 18/08/2008
Egypt warns Hamas: Stop obstructing Shalit deal
By Barak Ravid and Shahar Ilan, Haaretz Correspondents and Haaretz Staff
Tags: Fatah, Palestinians, Hamas 

Cairo has reportedly warned Hamas that it must stop obstructing progress in the deal to release abducted Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit and uphold its end of the Egyptian-brokered truce with Israel.

A senior government official in Jerusalem said that as far as Israel knows, Egyptian intelligence chief Omar Suleiman told Khaled Meshal, the Hamas political bureau head in Damascus, that Egypt would not agree to Hamas' ongoing hard-line stand in talks over Shalit's release.

The official said Suleiman also said talks between Israel and Hamas, mediated by Egypt, should move ahead again intensively in Cairo, as was agreed more than a month ago.
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Meanwhile, a senior Hamas official said representatives of the group discussed Shalit's possible release with Jordan's intelligence chief, Israel Radio reported Monday.

Egypt has made clear to both Israel and Hamas that it will not give up its position as broker in the Shalit talks, and will oppose any move to transfer responsibility for the negotiations to a European country such as Germany.

The government source said Egypt had demanded an answer from Hamas before the end of this week, ahead of meetings between Egyptian and Hamas officials in Damascus.

Negotiations over Shalit's release were to have been renewed immediately after the cease-fire between Israel and Hamas went into effect in mid-June, and the border crossings between Israel and Gaza were opened. However, because of the prisoner swap between Israel and Hezbollah, Hamas has now presented much harsher demands, in the belief that since Israel released Lebanese soldiers for the bodies of Israeli soldiers, the Islamic organization could demand a much higher price for Shalit, who is alive and being held in Gaza.

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      2.   Netanyahu response 04:46  |  Otto Rand 18/08/08
      3.   ridiculous hamas 05:57  |  tina 18/08/08
      4.   Boy, these Hamas guys are really smart!!! 06:10  |  Voice of Reason 18/08/08
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      6.   don`t know who approved it sort of like we don`t know who fired 06:13  |  ralph 18/08/08
      7.   Hamas officially rejects Israel altogether 07:58  |  SDHD 18/08/08
      8.   OMAR IS UNDER TREMENDOUS PRESSURES FROM HIS MASTER 09:38  |  indrajaya 18/08/08
      9.   ABOUT time somebody told the truth about Hamas.Obstructing¬ 09:47  |  PETER SM 18/08/08
      10.   30 Years 10:04  |  Mark of Lewiston 18/08/08
      11.   secret admirer 11:58  |  Refugee 18/08/08
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      14.   13 Why??? 14:37  |  A. 18/08/08
      15.   shut down the strip until gilad is home 15:18  |  jay 18/08/08
      16.   #8 Indrajaya 15:32  |  H 18/08/08
      17.   To Voice of Reason # 4 - Boy, is Olmert a Fool 15:56  |  Dagma 18/08/08
      18.   To Mark of Lewiston # 10 - These guys are unlucky 16:09  |  Dolly 18/08/08
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