Mubarak: Chatter about Shalit raises Hamas' demands

[Fozzledick]

By Barak Ravid and Avi Issacharoff

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak yesterday that he wants to resume talks on a deal to free abducted Israel Defense Forces soldier Gilad Shalit as soon as possible.

During a meeting in the Sinai resort of Sharm al-Sheikh, Netanyahu told the Egyptian president that he will appoint a new negotiator next week to replace Ofer Dekel, who was in charge of the talks on a prisoner exchange under former prime minister Ehud Olmert.

"In my opinion, Hamas will not make concessions on the list of prisoners it wants released, so we'll have to find a solution," Industry Minister Benjamin Ben-Eliezer, who accompanied Netanyahu to Sinai, said.

...

Netanyahu was warmly received by Mubarak, who sought to display his willingness to deal with Israel. "Mubarak did his best to make Netanyahu feel welcome," a member of the Israeli delegation said.

But in an interview with Channel 1 television yesterday, Mubarak spoke bluntly about the effort to secure a deal for Shalit.

"You are talking about Shalit all the time, but you ought to remain quiet," he told the Israeli public - and the press. "You demand his release and they raise their demands all the time. Keep quiet."

Regarding the peace process, the Egyptian president said the existence of two separate Palestinian entities, one in the Gaza Strip under Hamas control and another in the West Bank ruled by Fatah, was not viable. He said reconciliation talks between the two Palestinian factions have encountered difficulties because of an unspecified foreign power. Mubarak was probably referring to Iran, which actively supports Hamas and has been pushing it to adopt a hard-line policy toward Israel.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1084936.html