Noam Shalit's letter to his son Gilad was passed by French President Nicolas Sarkozy on Thursday to Syrian President Bashar Assad, to be forwarded to the Hamas terrorists who kidnapped the IDF soldier on June 25, 2006.

It is not clear exactly who personally handed over the envelope, due to the delicacy of the diplomatic dance surrounding the issue. An official traveling with French President Nicolas Sarkozy told a Reuters news reporter, simply, "It was done."

 

Sarkozy waited until Thursday's four-way meeting with representatives of the Gulf Cooperation Council to forward the letter, because Assad did not want to serve as the direct link to Hamas political bureau chief Khaled Mashaal, who has lived in Damascus for the past ten years.  The meeting included officials from Qatar and Turkey in addition to Sarkozy and Assad.

 

Earlier in the week the media alleged that Mashaal was asked by Syria to leave the country, and had moved to the Sudan. The politburo chief, however, later denied the reports, saying he still lives in Damascus.

 

"President Bashar [Assad] is happy to help but he does not want to be seeen as an official, designated middleman who is recognized on this issue," said the French official. "We give the letter to President Bashar Assad, and he gives it to the emir of Qatar, and the emir of Qatar gives it to Khaled Mashaal," he explained.

 

"Bashar Assad made a commitment to push Khaled Mashaal to ensure it reaches its destination, and the emir of Qatar will do the same."

 

If the letter actually reaches Gilad, it will be the first time in more than two years that he has received anything from anyone other than the terrorists who surround him.

 

Details about the contents letter itself were not released.

 

Shalit is a dual Israeli-French citizen, and President Sarkozy has made the issue of securing Shalit's release a primary foreign policy objective in his administration.