Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak held talks here on Tuesday with visiting Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on a fragile truce in the Palestinian territory of Gaza Strip, pledging to exert more efforts to mediate between Israel and the Palestinians.
The talks of the two leaders in the Egyptian Red Sea resort are "transparency, frankness and clarity," Egyptian presidential spokesman Suleiman Awad told reporters following the meeting.
The two leaders discussed regional issues including negotiations with the Palestinians, the ceasefire in Gaza and a prisoner swap between Israel and Hamas-led Palestinian militant groups, said Awad.
Awad added Egypt would continue efforts to broker a prisoner swap between Israel and Hamas-led Palestinian militant groups to ensure the release of Shalit.
Hamas demanded Israel release 450 prisoners it is holding in exchange for Shalit. The London-based newspaper Al-Sharq Al-Awsat reported on Saturday that Shalit's release was being delayed by a cleavage between Israel and Hamas over the fate of 30 Hamas prisoners.
An Israeli official said the Egyptian side promised not to reopen the Rafah border crossing until the release of captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, who was abducted by Palestinian militants two years ago in a cross-border raid.
Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev told reporters following the meeting that setting Shalit free is an essential issue, adding the Rafah crossing will not be reopened before the release of Shalit.
As for the Egyptian role, Olmert thanked Mubarak for the Egyptian efforts to hammer out the truce in Gaza, said Regev.
Describing direct talks between Mubarak and Olmert as crucial, Regev said the Israeli-Egyptian relations are essential for regional stability and a cornerstone for regional security.
Olmert's visit to Egypt, an active mediator between Israel and Palestinian militant groups, came less than a week after the truce in Gaza took effect last Thursday.
On Thursday morning, Israel and Gaza militant groups implemented an Egyptian-brokered six-month truce in Gaza, which consisted of gradual reopening of the closed border crossings and the easing of a one-year blockade Israel imposed on the coastal enclave.
During the talks with Olmert, Mubarak called on Hamas and Israel to stick to the Egyptian-brokered truce in Gaza, Awad said.
However, fresh rocket attacks from Gaza and the killing of two Palestinian militants by Israeli troops in the West Bank on Tuesday cast a shadow on Olmert's visit and the fragile Gaza truce.
According to earlier report, three Qassam rockets fired Tuesday afternoon from Gaza landed in the Sderot area of southern Israel.
Islamic Jihad's al-Quds Brigades claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it was in response to the killing of its commander who was killed Tuesday morning by Israeli soldiers in Nablus city in the West Bank, which is excluded from the ceasefire.
Earlier on Monday night, Palestinian militants fired a mortar shell at Negev, the first reported breach of the Gaza truce.
Source:Xinhua
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