CAIRO: Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met on Thursday in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt's Red Sea Resort, as part of an effort to revive Middle East peace talks An Egyptian official said Thursday's talks aimed to help break an impasse in the peace diplomacy, but did not give details. Negotiations between Palestinians and Israelis halted after Israel refused to extend a partial 10-month freeze on building settlements in the occupied West Bank, prompting the Palestinians to pull out. The freeze expired on 26 September. Netanyahu said in a statement before the talks, “I am going to speak with (Mubarak) about advancing peace and strengthening security. There are those who are trying to undermine the quiet, including various actors like Hamas and Hezbollah.” An Israeli political source said the agenda in Sharm el-Sheikh was expected to include efforts to recover Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, who was abducted in 2006 in a cross-border raid from Gaza, which is controlled by Palestinian group Hamas. Mubarak blamed Israel for the collapse of talks in a speech to the Egyptian parliament in December. BM
