New Shalit negotiator holds first round of talks in Cairo

           The new Israeli envoy charged with negotiating for the released of abducted Israel Defense Forces soldier Gilad Shalit held his first round of talks with Egyptian mediators on Tuesday. Officials in Cairo said Hadas, a former Mossad agent appointed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to secure a prisoner swap deal with Shalit's Palestinian captors, met with intelligence chief Omer Suleiman and his senior aides. Shalit has been in Palestinian captivity since he was abducted in a 2006 cross-border raid. Egypt has been mediating for a prisoner swap deal between Israel and the Hamas-rulers of the Gaza Strip. Hamas - who took the place of former negotiator Ofer Dekel - is seeking the release of hundreds of prisoners held by Israel, many of whom are serving lengthy terms for deadly attacks. Israel has said Hamas' demands are excessive. Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak told an Israeli newspaper last weekend that Netanyahu's predecessor, Ehud Olmert, came close to reaching a deal shortly before leaving office, but that he changed his mind and talks broke down. Last week, Mubarak announced that Shalit was in good condition and expressed hope he would be released soon. However, he gave no details on where he got his information. A Hamas official later dismissed Mubarak's comments as "wishful thinking". (02,08)