Mubarak: Hamas agreed to terms for soldier's release

By Haaretz

06/30/06 "Haaretz" -- -- Palestinian militants have agreed to a conditional release of Shalit, but Israel has not yet accepted their terms, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said in remarks published Friday.

In an interview with Egypt's leading pro-government newspaper, Al-Ahram, Mubarak said "Egyptian contacts with several Hamas leaders resulted in preliminary, positive results in the shape of a conditional agreement to hand over the soldier as soon as possible to avoid an escalation.

"But agreement on this has not yet been reached with the Israeli side," Mubarak said.

The president said he had asked Olmert "not to hurry" the military offensive in Gaza, but to "give additional time to find a peaceful solution to the problem of the kidnapped soldier."

A Foreign Ministry official said Israel did not know of such an offer.

"In general Israel's stance is, as the prime minister said earlier, that the soldier will only be released unconditionally and there will be no negotiations with a gang of terrorists and criminals who abducted a soldier from Israeli territory," the official said.

Mubarak's remark implied he was claiming a role in Israel's decision.

"Israeli leaders promised, and I hope they will stick to it, not to shed the blood of innocent Palestinian civilians in any hurried military operation," Mubarak said.

"At the same time, Egypt warned Hamas leaders of the dire consequences of
adopting of tough positions and urged them to shoulder their responsibilities in view of the dangers and difficulties faced by the Palestinian people at the present time," Mubarak said.

Mediators involved in contacts to help free Shalit from Palestinian captivity told Haaretz that Egypt communicated to Jerusalem its wish that talks be allowed to continue.

Although the talks have yet to yield a breakthrough, negotiations with Hamas officials in the territories as well as outside of the country are ongoing, mediators said.

According to information gleaned by the Palestinian Authority, Shalit is being held in the Khan Yunis refugee camp in southern Gaza. Peretz said Thursday afternoon that the IDF would sustain its blockade on the Gaza Strip until Shalit is brought home safely.

The defense minister was speaking at the graduation ceremony of the Israel Air Force pilots' course.

In a meeting with the heads of the defense establishment earlier in the day, Peretz predicted there was still a chance for a breakthrough that would lead to finding Shalit.

"We are now at the crucial moment ahead of setting new rules to the game... Any action we take must be examined thoroughly, according to its possible effect on the formulation of these rules," Peretz said.

The IDF has not completely ceased its military activities in Gaza, but is rather halting any further offensive measures at this stage.

Peretz authorized Thursday the next stages of the IDF's operation in Gaza, which began overnight Tuesday, and ordered troops to monitor the humanitarian situation in the Strip.

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