Brussels, 18/10/2011 (Agence Europe) - EU leaders hope that the release of Israeli soldier of French origin Gilad Shalit will help bring about a resumption of negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians. “We have been waiting for this news for too long. I am glad to hear about Gilad's peaceful and mutually agreed release”, said European Parliament President Jerzy Buzek. “Gilad's personal story is a testimony to the idea that we must not lose faith in the pursuit of reconciliation, even if this requires some hard compromises and negotiations”, he went on to say. “Gestures of good will from all parties fostering reconciliation and peace are most welcome. It is now crucial to continue those positive developments with the resumption of direct negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians”, said Hans-Gert Pöttering, who chairs the working group on the Middle East in the European Parliament.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy said that the release of the soldier was “a very great relief”, and he said that Gilad Shalit, who still holds French nationality, had been invited to Paris. French Foreign Minister Alain Juppé said that this event gave fresh hope of peace in the Middle East.
Belgian minister Olivier Chastel expressed the hope that the release would ease tensions. “I hope that this agreement will help defuse the situation and lower tensions between Israel and Palestine. If so, it is a step in the right direction”, he said. UK Prime Minister David Cameron hoped that this would “bring peace a step closer”. “We remain strongly committed to the cause of peace in the Middle East - with Israel and a Palestinian state living side by side in security. We will continue to work for direct negotiations to achieve that end”, he stated.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel highlighted the role played by Egypt in the release of Gilad Shalit in exchange for 1,027 Palestinians being held in Israel. She thanked “all those who have been involved in the release” and sent “special thanks to the Egyptian government whose role has been crucial over the last few months”. “We have to hope that this fruitful cooperation between Israel and Egypt will help rebuild good neighbourly relations between the two countries after the recent tension”, she added.
In an interview with Egyptian television, Gilad Shalit said that he would be “very happy” if the 4,000 Palestinian prisoners still in Israeli jails were released “to return to their families and homeland”. “I hope that this agreement will help us achieve peace between Israelis and Palestinians and that the two parties will now work with one another”, he added. (CG/transl.rt)