CAIRO: Officials from the militant Palestinian group Hamas arrived in Cairo Tuesday for talks with Egyptian officials on a prisoner exchange with Israel and ways of ending a yearlong rift with Fatah. Hamas deputy leader Moussa Abu Marzouk and Mohammed Nasr, a member of the group s political bureau, flew from Damascus to join several delegates from Gaza who traveled over land earlier in the day, Egypt s Middle East News Agency reported. MENA said the Hamas leaders will meet with Egyptian officials, but gave no further details. Before leaving Damascus, Nasr said the Hamas leaders would discuss the group s fragile truce with Israel and its requests for Egypt to reopen a crossing point with Gaza. Egypt is reportedly working to bring Israel and Hamas into proximity talks to bolster the Gaza truce and negotiate the release of Israeli soldier Gilad Schalit, held by Gaza militants since his capture two years ago. In the prospective talks, Egyptian officials would shuttle between Israeli and Hamas delegations located in separate places in the Egyptian capital. It was not immediately known if Ofer Dekel, the Israeli official in charge of the negotiations on the prisoners, was also in Cairo for the talks. Hamas wants Israel to release 450 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for Schalit. Israel has balked at Hamas demands for a large-scale release of Palestinian prisoners, including many convicted of deadly attacks. Hours before the Hamas delegates arrived in Cairo, Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is willing to show flexibility on the release of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for Schalit. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Sunday that Egypt would begin coordinating Hamas-Fatah reconciliation talks. Abbas willingness to enter new talks with Hamas comes after he vowed for more than a year not to talk with the Islamic movement unless it first gives up control of the Gaza Strip. Egypt has frequently mediated in disputes between Palestinian factions. -AP
