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Jackson tries for prisoner exchange
Trying to build on a cease-fire in Lebanon, showboat captain civil rights leader Jesse Jackson launched an effort Tuesday to arrange the release of prisoners held by Hezbollah and Israel. "The cease-fire is a step in the right direction," Jackson said after talking to the Israeli and Syrian ambassadors here. "Release of prisoners would reinforce the positive direction."

Jackson, an experienced meddler go-between, has brought Americans home from Syria, Cuba, Iraq and Yugoslavia. And, he said in an interview, "in each instance we had a no-talk policy in that country." The cease-fire resolution approved unanimously last week by the U.N. Security Council did not demand that Hezbollah release two Israeli soldiers whose abduction touched off the 34-day conflict. Nor did it demand Israel release Arab prisoners. But in the preamble to the resolution, the council said the situation should be addressed urgently.

Jackson began his effort with a telephone conversation with Daniel Ayalon, the Israeli ambassador, appealing to his government to consider "some exchange of prisoners" as a goodwill gesture "if there is movement on the two abducted Israelis," Jackson said. He then called on Syrian Ambassador Iyad Moustapha, whose government has strong ties to the Hezbollah militia. "I asked him to make an appeal to his president, Bashar Assad, on a humanitarian basis to appeal to whoever is appropriate, maybe Hezbollah, to seek the whereabouts and grant the release of the two Israeli soldiers," Jackson said. "He was positive and said he would convey the message," Jackson said. Although Jackson said he couldn't find out about the health of the prisoners, he said he had the impression they were "all right."

Jackson said he and other religious leaders would go to Syria "if we had the notion we could gain the release of prisoners on both sides. ... Such an effort would not be in conflict with our present policies because it would be humanitarian."
And remember, death is not an option: Jesse Jackson or Carla del Ponte? Discuss.

Posted by: Fred 2006-08-16
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=163043