Carter meets family of Israeli soldier held captive in Gaza

Carter meets family of Israeli soldier held captive in GazaJerusalem  - Former US president Jimmy Carter met Friday in Jerusalem with the father of Gilad Shalit, the Israeli soldier held captive in Gaza for the past four years.

Noam Shalit handed Carter a letter addressed to his son and asked him to use his contacts with Hamas, the radical Islamist movement ruling Gaza and holding Shalit, to try and pass it on to him.

He told reporters after the meeting, which lasted nearly 45 minutes, he hoped Carter would be able to use his "connections" with Hamas to help.

Carter met with Hamas leaders, as well as Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, in Damascus Thursday.

As such he is one of the few Western dignitaries in contact with Hamas, otherwise boycotted by Western governments and listed as a terrorist organization by the US and Europe.

Indirect, Egyptian-mediated negotiations between Israel and Hamas on a prisoners exchange were broken off after the change of Israeli governments following elections here on February 10.

Hamas has demanded the freedom of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, including hardcore militants involved in some of Israel's worst suicide bombings, in exchange for the soldier.

Shalit was captured in a June 25, 2005 Hamas-led raid on an Israeli military outpost bordering Gaza.

Carter is scheduled to meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank city of Ramallah on Saturday.

On Sunday, he is slated to visit the home of Jewish settler leader Shaul Goldstein, the head of the Regional Council of the Gush Etzion settlements bloc near Jerusalem, "for a dialogue with local residents," said a statement from his media representative.

He is also due to meet Israeli President Shimon Peres and hold a discussion with members of a key Israeli parliamentary committee dealing with security and foreign affairs.

Carter is visiting Syria, Israel, the West Bank and Gaza following the observation by his Carter Center organization of the June 7 Lebanese elections.(dpa)