(Haaretz).Hamas leader in exile Khaled Meshal is planning to finalize a prisoner swap deal for the release of abducted Israel Defense Forces soldier Gilad Shalit during a rare visit to Cairo this weekend, senior Palestinian sources told the Saudi daily Al-Watan on Friday.
Hamas spokesman Taher A-Nunu confirmed that Meshal was traveling to Cairo on Saturday for a round of talks with Egyptian officials, attended by the organization's top-brass from Gaza and Damascus.
According to the Al-Watan report, Meshal intends to use the visit to approve the clauses of the prisoner swap deal and sign off on a final draft.
France's envoy to Israel on Friday met Shalit's parents to give them a letter on behalf of President Nicolas Sarkozy, pledging Paris' commitment to their son's release.
The arrival of Meshal, who heads Hamas' political bureau from Damascus, is an unusual occurrence. He usually travels to Cairo only for crucial issues or the signing of contracts or deals. Meshal was supposed to visit Cairo last Tuesday, but his departure was delayed after his father passed away in Jordan.
Meshal's deputy, Mussa Abu Marzuk, has said that a German mediator facilitating the deal between Israel and Hamas has traveled 11 times to the region, and is "very earnest in his intention to bring about a deal."
Hamas spokesman Taher A-Nunu confirmed that Meshal was traveling to Cairo on Saturday for a round of talks with Egyptian officials, attended by the organization's top-brass from Gaza and Damascus.
According to the Al-Watan report, Meshal intends to use the visit to approve the clauses of the prisoner swap deal and sign off on a final draft.
France's envoy to Israel on Friday met Shalit's parents to give them a letter on behalf of President Nicolas Sarkozy, pledging Paris' commitment to their son's release.
The arrival of Meshal, who heads Hamas' political bureau from Damascus, is an unusual occurrence. He usually travels to Cairo only for crucial issues or the signing of contracts or deals. Meshal was supposed to visit Cairo last Tuesday, but his departure was delayed after his father passed away in Jordan.
Meshal's deputy, Mussa Abu Marzuk, has said that a German mediator facilitating the deal between Israel and Hamas has traveled 11 times to the region, and is "very earnest in his intention to bring about a deal."
