Germany to set free Iranian assassin despite Israel's plea - Haaretz

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Last update - 06:03 11/10/2007

Germany to set free Iranian assassin despite Israel's plea

By Yossi Melman

The government of Israel failed in its quest to convince Germany not to release Kazem Darabi, an Iranian arrested 15 years ago in connection with a political assassination.

In an attempt to prevent Darabi's release, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert called Chancellor Angela Merkel, but she told him the matter was being handled by the book, and he would be released after serving two thirds of his sentence.

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arabi was part of a deal brokered between Israel and Hezbollah in 2004. In the deal, 400 Palestinian terrorists were released, as well as other prisoners, including Mustafa Dirani and Sheikh Obeid, in exchange for the bodies of three Israel Defense Forces killed at Har Dov in 2000 and Elhanan Tannenbaum.

The deal included another stage, in which Germany offered to release Darabi if Hezbollah offered information on the captured Israeli air force navigator, Ron Arad. Hezbollah failed to offer any information and the deal fell through.

Darabi, who had a grocery store in Berlin, was an intelligence agent working for Iran. Along with three Lebanese nationals, he was charged with the killing of three members of Iran's Kurdish opposition and their translator in September 1992.

Darabi was convicted and sentenced to a life term, which German law sets at 20 years.

At that same ruling, the court declared Iran's minister of intelligence at the time, Ali Fallahiyan, responsible for ordering the killing and issued an international warrant against him. Germany also issued a warrant against Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and then President, Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani.

According to Channel 1 Tuesday, members of the Arad family intend to travel to Germany next week in a final attempt to convince the German authorities not to release Darabi.

There was no immediate comment from the Prime Minister's Bureau.

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1.	Ach so!	07:31	\|	zznhl	11/10/07

2.	Now Hezbollah will have NO chance of seeing SAMIR KUNTAR	07:57	\|	Garey	11/10/07

3.	Germs...Germs... sorry, Germans	08:45	\|	david	11/10/07

4.	Otto und Fritz haben ihn losgelassen?	09:20	\|	Fortuna Benmayor	11/10/07

5.	Mind your own business!	09:26	\|	Anton	11/10/07

6.	why should merkel do anything?	09:34	\|	Cathy	11/10/07

7.	Put the blame too on Olmert,Sharon and the Israeli Suprem	10:24	\|	Absolute Sweden	11/10/07

8.	For Fortuna Benmayor	10:36	\|	Jonathan S	11/10/07

9.	#4, Cathy	10:43	\|	Anton	11/10/07

10.	#8, Jonathan S.	11:08	\|	Anton	11/10/07

11.	Jonathan S ,E.Germany was THE training ground for ME terrorists,	11:10	\|	Absolute Sweden	11/10/07

12.	Olmert	11:30	\|	Anton	11/10/07

13.	For Absolute Sweden	11:39	\|	Jonathan S	11/10/07

14.	#11, Absolute Sweden	11:44	\|	Anton	11/10/07

15.	Anton lecturing the US about democracy	11:48	\|	Jonathan S	11/10/07

16.	In contrast to Israel Germany has a constitution and the law is	11:48	\|	Andreas	11/10/07

17.	That is a judicial matter	11:57	\|	joki	11/10/07

18.	Andreas and the German constitution	12:16	\|	Jonathan S	11/10/07

19.	For Anton #10	12:26	\|	Jonathan S	11/10/07

20.	Jonathan S.	13:22	\|	Anton	11/10/07

21.	Leave the issue to Germans!	13:49	\|	Roxana from Iran	11/10/07

22.	#19	13:50	\|	SP	11/10/07

23.	Thats our law Germany 2007!	14:56	\|	kraut	11/10/07

24.	To Anton, in Bonn # 5, on internal German and Israeli affairs.	15:43	\|	Fortuna Benmayor	11/10/07

25.	For Jonathan S	15:51	\|	Fortuna Benmayor	11/10/07

26.	To Anton, # 12, watch out there !	15:59	\|	Fortuna Benmayor	11/10/07

27.	For Fortuna Benmayor	18:56	\|	Jonathan S	11/10/07

28.	Germany as bootlicker of the mullahs	19:55	\|	Jonathan S	11/10/07

29.	to Anton ,hypocrisy from Frankfurt	21:02	\|	Bernd	11/10/07

30.	Murderous Mullas	22:51	\|	Ali	11/10/07

31.	LEBANESE PRISONER, KURDISH DEAD, GERMAN CAPTIVE, ISRAEL SLEEPLESS	22:58	\|	JACKAL	11/10/07

32.	#28 Moral?	08:05	\|	kraut	12/10/07

33.	who is israel to dictate germany anything ????	22:33	\|	mehmet	15/10/07

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