Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, today (Saturday), Saturday, 31, 2004, telephoned German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and - on behalf of the government - thanked him for the German government's assistance in returning citizen Elhanan Tannenbaum and the bodies of Israeli soldiers Staff Sgt. Binyamin Abraham, Staff Sgt. Adi Avitan and Staff Sgt. Omar Sawaid. The two men agreed to continue bilateral cooperation in order to receive additional information on the fate of captive navigator Ron Arad and bring him back home.

Prime Minister Sharon also today telephoned Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and wished him, his family and the Egyptian people a happy Eid Al-Adha. The two men discussed the Israeli-Palestinian situation and agreed to continue their discussions in regard to it.