Ousted mediator apologizes to Olmert for criticism on Hamas talks

Ousted mediator Amos Gilad on Wednesday apologized to Prime Minister Ehud Olmert tofor criticizing him over his handling of Egyptian-brokered negotiations with Hamas.

Olmert suspended Gilad, who heads the Defense Ministry's diplomatic-security bureau, after he lashed out viciously at the prime minister's conduct in both the talks over a truce and for the release of abducted Israel soldier Gilad Shalit, in remarks published in the Israeli newspaper Maariv.

The two met on Wednesday at the prime minister's residence in Jerusalem.

Before the meeting, Gilad presented to Olmert, in which he had written: "I want to apologize for the things I said against the prime minister and against the government of Israel. The things I said were unjustified, erroneous and would have been better off unsaid."

After their tete-a-tete, Olmert responded to Gilad with a letter of his own. "Following our talks, during which you apologized to me, and in light of my appreciation of you and recognition of your activities and the many years you have worked for the State of Israel, I hope to convlude this matter as soon as possible."

Gilad was replaced with a triumvirate, consisting of the Olmert's diplomatic adviser Shalom Turgeman, Shin Bet security service chief Yuval Diskin and Ofer Dekel, who has been handling the talks on Shalit.

On Tuesday, Olmert said Israel was continuing to make every effort to free abducted Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, despite having suspended Gilad on the preceding day.

"We have been dealing with the Shalit issue over the course of the last three years with all our force and contacts," said Olmert, speaking at a Jewish Agency conference in Jerusalem.