Shalit. French to mediate in talks
Photo: Reuters
Report: Shalit talks to resume with French mediation
According to Egyptian newspaper negotiations for captive soldier's release to be renewed next week; Hamas' firm stance may cause strain on agreement
More than a month after the failure of the most promising round of talks between Israel and Hamas for the release of captive soldier Gilad Shalit, Egyptian newspaper al-Mesryoon reports Wednesday that the parties will resume negotiations as early as next week with Egyptian and German mediation.
The report, which the paper stated was based on reliable sources, notes that France may join the talks in an effort to help overcome the differences which hindered the deal's progression. Shalit possesses French citizenship and President Nicolas Sarkozy has met with the soldier's father, Noam, several times in the past.
The report further claimed that France intends on presenting a line of new concepts to the parties, including a suggestion to carry out the deal in one stage in which Israel would release approximately 1,000 prisoners parallel to the return of Shalit, as opposed to the German mediator's plan of executing the exchange in three separate stages.
The sources nevertheless noted that in recent talks between Hamas leadership and Egyptian elements, the Islamist group stressed that it does not intend on being flexible and making changes to its prisoners list, which may cause a strain on the negotiations.
