Barak, Mubarak meet to discuss Gaza, Shalit

Defense Minister Ehud Barak met with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak yesterday to discuss ways of restarting Israeli-Palestinian negotiations.

The two also discussed the stalled negotiations with Hamas over a deal for the return of kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit, as well as the situation along the border of the Gaza Strip, where tensions between Egypt and Hamas have recently flared.

Mubarak invited Barak to the meeting, in the Egyptian resort town of Sharm al-Sheikh, a few days ago. It is Barak's second visit to a nearby country in less than two weeks: He recently returned from Turkey.

After the meeting, Barak's office termed the discussion "thorough, comprehensive and productive."

Senior defense officials told Haaretz that over the past several months, there has been a significant improvement in Egypt's efforts to thwart arms smuggling into Gaza. Cairo's recent decision to bolster these efforts by building a steel barrier along its border with Gaza is the main source of the heightened tension with Hamas.