Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on Saturday said the stalled Mideast peace process depended on the release of an Israeli solider captured by Gaza militants and resolving the violent conflict between rival Palestinian factions, reported The Associated Press. Mubarak said Egypt was working to «seal the crack» between Hamas and Fatah who have been fighting for control of the Palestinian government since the Islamic militant Hamas ousted its rival from power last year. But the Egyptian leader stressed that a deal also must be brokered to secure the release of Israeli Cpl. Gilad Shalit, who was captured by Palestinian militants in June. Egypt has been trying to negotiate his release in exchange for Palestinians held in Israeli prisons. «It all depends on the soldier that was detained by the Palestinians, and at the same time the Palestinians are demanding the release of their detainees. We are working on this line, and we hope that we reach a solution soon,» Mubarak said during a joint press conference with visiting German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Merkel was in Egypt on the first leg of her four-day Middle East tour in hope of boosting international efforts to revive the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.
