Subscribe to Print Edition | Tue., September 04, 2007 Elul 21, 5767 | | Israel Time: 04:17 (EST+7)
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Egyptian intelligence chief Omar Suleiman. (AP Archives)
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Last update - 11:35 02/09/2007
Egypt recently rejected Israeli request to renew Shalit negotiations
By Avi Issacharoff and Jack Khoury, Haaretz Correspondent

Egypt has decided, for now, to turn down Israel's request to reprise its role in mediating the negotiations for abducted Israel Defense Forces soldier Gilad Shalit's release.

A few weeks ago, Haaretz reported that Vice Premier Haim Ramon and the coordinator for missing soldiers, Ofer Dekel, met in Cairo on August 5 with Egyptian intelligence chief Omar Suleiman. They asked Suleiman to renew talks with Hamas for Shalit's release. The negotiations were suspended in mid-June following Hamas' takeover of the Gaza Strip.

Egyptian officials believe renewing talks with Hamas would reverse the recent slippage in the group's standing - particularly if Israel releases Palestinians prisoners as part of a deal. They fear that renewed negotiations with Hamas would jeopardize Egypt's relations with Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas. Egyptian officials claim Hamas is unwilling to restrict the scope of the talks to the prisoners and wants to expand it to include its relationship with Fatah and with Egypt. According to officials involved in the negotiations, Israel and Hamas are continuing to put pressure on Egypt to renew the talks whereas Cairo and Fatah oppose their resumption.

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In the 10 weeks since Hamas took over Gaza, relations between the organization and Cairo have been nearly nonexistent - despite claims by Israeli sources that Suleiman told Ramon and Dekel that Egypt would resume its contact with Hamas over Shalit and was committed to resolving the crisis. Palestinian sources told Haaretz that current contacts between Egypt and Hamas were limited to the issue of Gazans still stranded on the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing.

Senior Hamas officials confirmed that talks over Shalit's release had not resumed. Osama Mazzini, a high-ranking Hamas official involved in the negotiations, confirmed that the talks had reached an advanced stage prior to the Hamas takeover, with Israel agreeing to release 350 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for Shalit's transfer to Egypt. After Shalit's return to Israel, an additional 100 Palestinian prisoners would be released, with another 550 to be released months later as an Israeli gesture of goodwill.

Mazzini claimed the talks broke down over the specific prisoners to be included in the first 350 to be released. Hamas submitted the names of the prisoners it wanted, many of whom had taken part in some of the worst terror attacks against Israelis. Israel refused, and asked for a list of 1,000 prisoners' names from which it could choose 350. Mazzini said the talks were suspended when the mediating Egyptian intelligence delegation left Gaza in June.
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  1.   Help US!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 04:46  |  Yasser 02/09/07
  2.   Off Topic 05:15  |  Steve 02/09/07
  3.   The Egyptian President has only one thing on his mind 05:47  |  Avram 02/09/07
  4.   Negotiations 05:59  |  KNOE 02/09/07
  5.   Negotiations 06:17  |  KNOE 02/09/07
  6.   As Hamas Collaspes All Will Be Straighten Out In The End 06:23  |  Shepherd 02/09/07
  7.   The Bush School of Diplomacy 06:24  |  Mark of Lewiston 02/09/07
  8.   yasser 06:30  |  marwan 02/09/07
  9.   Egypt is right this one time 07:33  |  Gili 02/09/07
  10.   #7 It makes no difference 07:50  |  Lisen 02/09/07
  11.   Egyptians are right not to want to talk... 08:02  |  Maurice 02/09/07
  12.   israeli lip service 09:35  |  scanadu 02/09/07
  13.   Other avenues 10:13  |  Esther 02/09/07
  14.   the remedies are in israelis hand use them 10:31  |  victor hardman 02/09/07
  15.   Israel is not alone 10:38  |  ScotGuy 02/09/07
  16.   #7, Mark of Lewiston 10:45  |  Silvienne 02/09/07
  17.   It is hard to believe that Israel doesn`t know Shalits location 10:46  |  Natallie Durson 02/09/07
  18.   Shalit is a pawn of Hamas 10:52  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 02/09/07
  19.   NO WONDER 11:03  |  indrajaya 02/09/07
  20.   EGYPT NEEDS A NEW "CONTRACT" (NO DISCOUNT) 11:04  |  indrajaya 02/09/07
  21.   Egypt Gets Real How About Israel Doing The Same 11:15  |  Ruth Keerson 02/09/07
  22.   Do Unto Others As You Would Have Them Do Unto You! 11:22  |  Sharif Hafez 02/09/07
  23.   Sulieman cede land to the Pals! 12:35  |  FOX 02/09/07
  24.   shalit is a uniformed soldier who was captured while planning 13:00  |  lakshmi 02/09/07
  25.   Which Way is the best,? Hamas` or PA`s.? 13:24  |  Harrison 02/09/07
  26.   The Question is:.... 13:55  |  Arabistan 02/09/07
  27.   Help Us 13:59  |  Angela 02/09/07
  28.   Help Us! 14:10  |  Angela 02/09/07
  29.   Sad Hamas 14:11  |  ScotGuy 02/09/07
  30.   President Mubarak merits 14:11  |  Dr D 02/09/07
  31.   #23, Lakshmi... 14:17  |  Silvienne 02/09/07
  32.   Two Victims But Many Winners 14:29  |  Ronnie Wolman 02/09/07
  33.   Galid 15:09  |  Sleven 02/09/07
  34.   The Muslim Brotherhood 15:09  |  Mark Lincoln 02/09/07
  35.   # 17, NATALLIE DURSON 15:12  |  indrajaya 02/09/07
  36.   #23 - laksmi makes unfounded allegations 15:26  |  Shlomo 02/09/07
  37.   Thank you Mark Lincoln #32 15:39  |  Shlomo 02/09/07
  38.   Quite funny really 15:46  |  Chris Linthwaite 02/09/07
  39.   Egypt! Cede Land to Gaza 15:46  |  FOX 02/09/07
  40.   lakshmi "shalit captured while planning" where is your evidence ? 15:51  |  PETER.SM 02/09/07
  41.   EGYPT has been killiing the Moslem brotherhood for generations 16:10  |  PETER.SM 02/09/07
  42.   The real reason 16:24  |  Tosefta 02/09/07
  43.   #23, SILVIENNE (GHOYIM GULAG) 16:31  |  indrajaya 02/09/07
  44.   Sharif Hafez #22 16:35  |  Lynn 02/09/07
  45.   # 42, TOSEFTA 16:36  |  indrajaya 02/09/07
  46.   Why now (Indrajaya #44) 16:54  |  Tosefta 02/09/07
  47.   TOSEFTA.beware conspiracy disease,its contagious. 16:59  |  PETER S .M. 02/09/07
  48.   10 Lisen - It Does to Shalit 17:21  |  Mark of Lewiston 02/09/07
  49.   16 Silvienne 17:26  |  Mark of Lewiston 02/09/07
  50.   30Silvienne greetings!36Shlomo,you need new reading glasses! 17:31  |  lakshmi 02/09/07
  51.   Why now (Indrajaya #44) 17:33  |  Tosefta 02/09/07
  52.   Part 2 Silvienne & Shlomo, . .."where they are often subjected to 17:37  |  lakshmi 02/09/07
  53.   40Peter SM,simple reason,the Red Cross would (unintentionally) 17:47  |  lakshmi 02/09/07
  54.   The Abominable Slowman 17:57  |  Jack Khoury 02/09/07
  55.   Shlomo re: lakshmi 19:10  |  Justicia 02/09/07
  56.   Durson-maybe your paranoia is misplaced 19:47  |  natan 02/09/07
  57.   Only war on gaza will resolve Shalit issue 19:54  |  bernard ross 02/09/07
  58.   Egypt 20:05  |  Serge 02/09/07
  59.   Jack Khoury 20:05  |  Mark Lincoln 02/09/07
  60.   Re-Inventing Hamas? 20:13  |  FOX 02/09/07
  61.   Patting my own Back, well done Fox 20:22  |  FOX 02/09/07
  62.   #Mark of Lewiston 20:27  |  Lisen 02/09/07
  63.   Hamas`s masochistic traits 20:54  |  ScotGuy 02/09/07
  64.   rejected lakshmi 21:07  |  KNOE 02/09/07
  65.   Tosefta "Why Now"? 21:21  |  Mark Lincoln 02/09/07
  66.   Lincoln #65 Sense? 22:17  |  FOX 02/09/07
  67.   FREE SHALIT NOW (end) 22:39  |  KUTW 02/09/07
  68.   # 54 Jack Khoury and The Abominable Slowman.I discovered a... 22:53  |  Kath` 02/09/07
  69.   we know what mubarak is but 1000 terrorists is a price to high 23:06  |  zionist forever 02/09/07
  70.   # 55 Justicia.re: Shlomo re:lakshmi 23:11  |  Kath` 02/09/07
  71.   From the folks who abandoned their own people 23:12  |  Dr David I. Gross 02/09/07
  72.   Tosefta 23:26  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 02/09/07
  73.   lakshmi Red Cross are infiltrated??then they can`t see Arabs 23:33  |  PETER.SM 02/09/07
  74.   realignement 23:52  |  losman 02/09/07
  75.   propaganda machine in full swing 1 00:11  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 03/09/07
  76.   with a little bit of courage olmert could get Gilad back 00:18  |  zionist forever 03/09/07
  77.   propaganda machine in full swing 2 00:25  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 03/09/07
  78.   lakshmi 00:28  |  eva 03/09/07
  79.   73Peter SM,3 points,1.was shalit playing tag? 00:36  |  lakshmi 03/09/07
  80.   lakshmi 00:53  |  eva 03/09/07
  81.   lakshmi 01:09  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 03/09/07