Abbas: no deal yet on swap for Israeli soldier

SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said yesterday there was no deal for now between Israel and the Islamist group Hamas on freeing an Israeli soldier held in Gaza.

Abbas, speaking after talks with President Hosni Mubarak, also said a European Union call for talks with Israel on the status of Jerusalem was important but fell short of Palestinian expectations after changes to an earlier draft.

Egypt has been trying to broker a deal in which Hamas, which runs the Gaza Strip, would release Shalit in exchange for Israel freeing of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.