CAIRO: Hamas political leader Khaled Meshaal confirmed Sunday that Germany is mediating an Israeli-Palestinian prisoner swap that would include Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit but stressed the bid is in its infancy.
Meshaal made the remarks during a visit to Cairo for talks with officials on the prisoner swap as well as Egyptian efforts to broker reconciliation between Hamas and Fatah.
“Concerning Shalit, as you know there is some development as a result of the German mediation bid in coordination with Egypt,” Meshaal told a joint news conference with Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa.
“But we are in the early stages. We have not discussed any (Palestinian) names nor any details,” said Meshaal, who lives in exile in Damascus. “More time is needed before any real progress can be announced. We must be cautious and not hasty.”
The German weekly Der Spiegel reported last Monday that Israel had accepted a German-mediated prisoner swap deal to free hundreds of Palestinians in return for Shalit, who turned 23 in August.
“The German secret services have recently been holding talks with the Israeli government and Hamas. The aim is to obtain the exchange of Gilad Shalit against several hundred Palestinian prisoners,” Der Spiegel said.
Shalit, who also holds French citizenship, was captured in June 2006 in a cross-border raid from the Gaza Strip conducted by three Palestinian armed groups, including Hamas, which now rules the coastal territory.
Meshaal, in Egypt since Friday, has met with intelligence chief Omar Suleiman, Cairo’s point man on Palestinian affairs who has been brokering indirect talks between Israel and Hamas on the prisoner swap. “The topic of the prisoners was one of the main subjects raised during the session,” on Saturday, an Egyptian official told the state-run news agency MENA. “Finding a solution to this topic will have a major impact on the other questions, such as lifting the blockade and the permanent opening of the crossing points” with the Gaza Strip, he added.
