Hanegbi: Shalit deal not close & not tied to resuming contacts with PA

        The chairman of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, Tzachi Hanegbi, says a deal to free Gilad Shalit is not close, and there is no connection between a prisoner swap and contacts to renew negotiations. Speaking Sunday morning on Reshet Bet radio, Hanegbi said that the Americans are pressing for a declaration of a resumption of negotiations during the United Nations General Assembly next week. With this, Hanegbi said he does not expect progress, primarily because of the Palestinians' insistence on the right of return. (13,31)