国际英语新闻：Prisoners' exchange deal not imminent, Israeli obstruction

GAZA, Sept. 12 (Xinhua) -- In spite of different reports saying that there has a progress achieved, a Gaza-based militant group's spokesman revealed on Saturday that a prisoners' swap deal between the captors of the Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit and Israel is not yet imminent.

    Abu Mujahid, spokesman of the Popular Resistance Committees (PRC), one of Shalit's captors said in a statement that a prisoners' exchange agreement is not in sight, denying earlier media reports saying that a great progress had been achieved and the deal has become imminent.

    He told the Bethlehem-based Maan news agency that "the Israeli occupation is the one which obstructs finalizing the deal, while the Palestinian resistance insists that all those who spend long term sentences in Israel jails should be released."

    "The ball is still at the Israeli playground and the government of the Israeli occupation can finalize the deal within hours if it accepts the captors' demands," said Abu Mujahid, adding "The Egyptian and German mediators are exerting tremendous efforts to finalize the deal."

    Militants from Hamas armed wing, al-Qassam Brigade, the PRC and a minor group called the "Army of Islam," kidnapped Shalit in June2006 during a triple armed attack carried out on an Israeli army base southeast of the Gaza Strip.

    Since then, Egypt has been ruling indirect negotiations between Shalit's captors, mainly Hamas and Israel. German mediators had also joined in June this year, during which several reports said that a progress was made in finalize the deal.

    Shalit's captors demand the release of 1,000 Palestinian prisoners, including 450 prisoners who spend life sentences in prison. In addition to the 1,000, they also want Israel to release children, women, sick and old prisoners.

    Cairo, Damascus and Tel Aviv had recently witnessed an active movement of German and Egyptian mediators, as well as officials and leaders from the Israeli government and Hamas movement, aiming at finalizing the deal.

    Meanwhile, some Gaza-based news websites reported earlier on Saturday that according to well-informed Egyptian and Israeli official sources, that a deal on the resumption of the peace process, including a prisoners' swap deal is imminent.

    Both sources had said that Egypt and Israel are much closed to reach a series of understandings soon on different issues related to the peace process and Shalit's release.

    The sources, which spoke on condition of anonymity, said that new decisions might be announced in a meeting scheduled to be held between Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in Cairo on Sunday.

    However, Osama al-Muzeini, a senior Hamas leader from Gaza, who is authorized to give the press statements related to Shalit's case, ruled out that a prisoners' swap deal with Israel is in sight.

    "We are still facing a long way to go, and there are still many outstanding issues," said al-Muzeini in a press statement, adding "it is good to be optimistic, but this optimism must not be excessive."

    He insisted that Hamas movement still clings to its demands of freeing 1,000 Palestinian prisoners, including 450 prisoners who spend long-term sentences in Israeli jails, in addition to women children, sick and old prisoners.

    Among the outstanding issues in the indirect talks to finalize the deal is the deportation of around 125 prisoners to Arab and foreign countries and not to allow them to live in the West Bank and Gaza.

    "We want all prisoners to go back home, and then it is up to every freed prisoner to chose whether he wants to stay with his family or leave the country," said al-Muzeini, who ruled out that Israel would target them after they get released.

    According to al-Muzeini, the implementation of the prisoners' exchange deal should go through two stages, adding that the first stage of releasing 450 prisoners is the most difficult and complicated one."

    He added that "when the captive soldier gets back to his family, Israel would guarantee to Egypt and other mediators to release other 550 prisoners, in addition to women, children, sick and old prisoners."

    The release of Shalit and also reaching an inter-Palestinian reconciliation in Cairo after the end of Ramadan, the Muslims' month of fasting, would help to end around three-year Israeli tight blockade that mounted the Gaza Strip population suffering from the destroyed economy.

    Hamas had seized control of the Gaza Strip in June 2007, routed President Mahmoud Abbas security forces. Israel, in return, imposed a tight blockade on the enclave and closed down all its commercial crossings.