Palestinians Downplay Talk of Soldier's Release
Ryan R. Jones - All Headline News Correspondent Rome, Italy (AHN) - Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas said Thursday that a deal for the release of an Israeli soldier being held in the Gaza Strip could be just around the corner. Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Corporal Gilad Shalit was abducted by Hamas-affiliated terrorists during a raid into southern Israel on June 25. Speaking to reporters in Rome following a meeting with Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi, Abbas stressed that "there are ongoing efforts that lead us to believe in an imminent solution" to the kidnapping and the weeks of fierce fighting it sparked off. The AP reported that a Hamas spokesman immediately denied the assertion. Chief PLO negotiator Saeb Erekat, who is a close confidant of Abbas, also said it was premature to speak of Shalit's release. He said Abbas' words had been mistranslated. Egyptian officials reported earlier this week that they had been on the brink of brokering a prisoner exchange between Abbas' office and Israel, but that Iran, which is interested in seeing the conflict continue, had scuttled the efforts.
Article © All Headline News - All Rights Reserved
|
