CAIRO, September 6 (RIA Novosti) - Talks on an exchange of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, abducted three years ago by the Palestinian radical Islamist group Hamas, to Palestinian prisoners kept in Israel are far from over, Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal said Sunday.
"We are still to go a long way," Mashaal said, confirming that Germany joined in as a mediator.
He said the sides have not yet even started discussing the details of the exchange, in particular, the names of Palestinians to be freed.
The talks are mediated by Egypt. Hamas and Israel sometimes accuse each other of frustrating the prisoner swap agreement. Hamas wants about 1,000 prisoners freed in exchange for Shalit.
