Aboul Gheit
Photo: AP
Shalit
Reproduction photo
Negotiations on Shalit suspended
Egyptian foreign minister tells reporters talks on kidnapped Israeli soldier put on hold due to violence in Gaza
The negotiations for the release of kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit have been suspended due to the situation in Gaza, Egypt's Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit said Friday.
"The talks have been put on hold for now, in light of the situation and the internal Palestinian tensions," Aboul Gheit told reporters in Cairo.
Hamas and Fatah representatives left for the Egyptian capital on Friday in hope of reaching an Egyptian-mediated truce between the rivaling factions. The representatives are also scheduled to discuss the escalation with Israel.
Egypt's intelligence chief Omar Suleiman said that his country played a key role "in the rehabilitation of the relations within the Palestinian people… so that they can return to the negotiating table with Israel."
The London-based Arabic language newspaper al-Quds al-Arabi quoted a Palestinian official as saying that Suleiman is going to pressure Hamas and Fatah to bring the Shalit affair to an end.
