Hamas' Zahar tells Haaretz: Shalit swap deal still a long way off

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Mahmoud a-Zahar, a senior Hamas official in Gaza and one of the figures leading the group's negotiations in the Gilad Shalit affair, said yesterday that the talks are likely to continue for a while, "perhaps a long time."

In an interview with Haaretz, Zahar sought to clarify a number of statements attributed to him in various media outlets. He stressed that progress in the talks now hinges primarily on the Israeli side. "If Israel wants to wrap up this affair, it could be concluded quickly," he said. "If not, then it is likely to continue for a lengthy amount of time." According to Zahar, Hamas has relayed messages to Israel through the German mediator. Among them, Hamas says no conditions have been set in stone. Israel has outright rejected a number of Hamas demands in exchange for the release of kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit.

Nonetheless, Zahar added, "We are sticking to our demand for the release of all the names that appear on the list."

Zahar sounded cautious when asked to comment on the possibility of concluding the negotiations. He said the issue of expelling the released prisoners, a demand that Israel raised during negotiations toward the latter stages of Ehud Olmert's term as prime minister, has not been raised in the current round of talks.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1118882.html