Palestinian captors have agreed to a conditional release of an Israeli soldier, but Israel has not yet accepted their terms, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said in comments published Friday.
In an interview with Egypt's leading pro-government daily, Al-Ahram, the Egyptian leader 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.
According to him, he had asked Israeli PM Ehud Olmert "not to hurry" the military offensive in Gaza Srip, but to "give additional time to find a peaceful solution to the problem of the kidnapped soldier."
Mubarak's remark implied he was claiming a role in Israel's decision to delay an offensive on the Gaza Strip. "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.
