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Hezbollah guerilla Hassan Naim Aqil (L) and Israeli civilian Gabriel Dwait. (GPO / Reproduction)
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Nasrallah reports progress in swap talks on abducted IDF soldiers
By Amos Harel, Barak Ravid and Yoav Stern, Haaretz Correspondents

Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of the Lebanese-based guerilla group Hezbollah, said Tuesday there is positive progress in negotiations to return two Israel Defense Forces soldiers held by the group.

Nasrallah said the limited exchange Monday in which Israel traded a prisoner and the bodies of two Hezbollah guerrillas for the body of an Israeli who drowned at sea two years ago provided an important incentive for a major prisoner swap in the future.

Hezbollah's capture of IDF reservists Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev in July 2006 sparked a 34-day war between the Lebanese guerrillas and Israel, leaving about 1,400 people dead.
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"For the first time I can speak about hope, about optimism and about positive progress and about an opportunity to reach a great achievement and a full exchange," Nasrallah said on Hezbollah's Al-Manar television.

"There is positive progress in the main negotiations over the two soldiers and the prisoners... I assert that there are strenuous negotiations, continuing sessions which will be resumed in days," he said.

Hezbollah has repeatedly said it would only trade the two soldiers for the release of all Lebanese and Arabs detained in Israel. Israeli government officials declined to immediately comment Hezbollah's
assertion, saying they would have to study the speech first.

In a statement on Al-Manar, Hezbollah also confirmed Monday that it had transferred information "related to issues of mutual interest, with the intention of achieving progress on them."

"Hezbollah hopes that this goodwill will produce long-awaited progress toward resolving the cases of all prisoners," the statement said.

The information is believed to be connected to Israel Air Force navigator Ron Arad, who disappeared after his plane went down over Lebanon in 1986. Haaretz learned Tuesday, however, that the information sheds no light on his fate.

PM: Enemies hiking cost in 'ugly trade' for MIAs
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, referring to the Monday swap, said Tuesday that Israel's enemies are engaged in an "ugly and cynical trade in feelings," demanding ever higher prices in exchange deals aimed at the return of missing and kidnapped IDF troops.

Olmert, speaking in Ashdod at a conference on aliyah issues, said that the swap was "balanced, and at a price which Israel was authorized to bear."

But he added that "For years, our enemies have been seeking to raise the price to be paid by Israel for scraps of information, abducted civilians and soldiers, or, heaven forbid, remains.

"This is an ugly and cynical trade in feelings, and in the feelings of Israeli society. At times there is no alternative but to pay the painful price."

The negotiations to secure the release of the two reservists are being conducted through United Nations-appointed German mediator Ernst Uhrlau. The major sticking point currently in the talks is Hezbollah's demand that Israel first release a large number of prisoners in exchange for information on the two, while Israel is insisting that the exchange be carried out in a single stage.

A statement released by the Prime Minister's Office said Monday confirmed that the latest swap was "an additional step in the framework of the negotiations to return abducted soldiers Eldad Regev and Ehud Goldwasser."

"Israel expects that this evening's significant step will serve to hasten the processes that have been underway for over a year," the statement said.

"As a goodwill gesture, there will be a swap of a prisoner and the bodies of two Hezbollah fighters for the remains of an Israeli who was not a soldier," the source said.

Israeli security sources also called the exchange a confidence-building measure, aimed at improving the atmosphere ahead or a future prisoner exchange with Lebanon.

Several IDF soldiers have been missing in Lebanon since the 1980s and are presumed dead. But there had been no previous report that an Israeli civilian was missing.

Meanwhile, German Attorney General Monika Harms said Tuesday that is standing behind its decision to free an imprisoned Iranian agent despite a plea from the family of missing Israel Defense Forces soldier Ron Arad to reconsider the terms of the release.


Hamas: Shalit deal more complicated
Hamas spokesman Abu Obadiah said Tuesday that the deal for the release of IDF soldier Gilad Shalit, who was abducted last June by militants from Hamas and other Palestinian organizations, would be more complicated than the exchange deal Israel made with Hezbollah.

The spokesman told the Palestinian news agency Ramatan that Shalit's captors would not give up their demands to compromise with Israel. He also said to expect a deal which would embarrass Olmert and his cabinet.


Related articles:
  • ANALYSIS: Hezbollah swap is at most a mutual gesture of goodwill
  • Abductees' families cautiously optimistic over Hezbollah deal
  • Israel denies it believes troops captured by Hezbollah are dead
  • Berlin tells MIA's family it stands by plan to free jailed Iran agent
  • Germany denies assassins' early release was part of deal with Iran
  • Germany to set free Iranian assassin despite Israel's plea
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      1.   swap against drowned israeli 10:56  |  Vogel 16/10/07
      2.   drowned ISraeli 11:51  |  Sabra 16/10/07
      3.   Sabra 12:19  |  Walid 16/10/07
      4.   Expect another shameful deal 12:22  |  Jonathan S 16/10/07
      5.   sicko 12:43  |  El Moore 16/10/07
      6.   Olmert is a pathetic, whining buffoon 12:50  |  Rowan Berkeley 16/10/07
      7.   ugly trade 12:57  |  Ellen 16/10/07
      8.   Cynical and evil 13:07  |  Esther 16/10/07
      9.   # 3 Walid 13:13  |  Lynn 16/10/07
      10.   #5 El Moore 13:14  |  Peter SM 16/10/07
      11.   Israel enemy: Anyone that doesn`t give in to Israel 13:18  |  Natallie Durson 16/10/07
      12.   Rowan Berkeley 13:19  |  millie 16/10/07
      13.   Jonathan S 13:21  |  Walid 16/10/07
      14.   El Moore 13:23  |  Walid 16/10/07
      15.   Walid: you`re whinging again 13:26  |  Star of David 16/10/07
      16.   Rowan Berkely 13:26  |  Walid 16/10/07
      17.   For Rowan Berkley 13:30  |  Sandra 16/10/07
      18.   For Natallie #11 13:40  |  Esther 16/10/07
      19.   CYNICAL I AGREE BUT OLMERT SHOULD HAND OVER TO SOMEONE ELSE 13:49  |  S.Uspicion 16/10/07
      20.   For Walid 13:55  |  Jonathan S 16/10/07
      21.   Star of David 14:04  |  Peter SM 16/10/07
      22.   History repeating itself - again 14:17  |  Alex 16/10/07
      23.   Lynn: nonsense 14:20  |  Maral 16/10/07
      24.   For Peter SM # 10 14:21  |  Farzaneh Dostagir 16/10/07
      25.   For Rowan Berkley: u been dissed by Millie, man!! 14:28  |  Paula 16/10/07
      26.   Price should be a Hezbullah village turned to ashes 14:30  |  ber 16/10/07
      27.   #1.#Vogel.as an Israeli you should know that 14:33  |  Hussein 16/10/07
      28.   #24 Farzanah Dostagir 14:36  |  Peter SM 16/10/07
      29.   No pride in Hezbollah: Ugly indeed! 14:41  |  civilized Kid 16/10/07
      30.   `Peter SM` 14:43  |  millie 16/10/07
      31.   No honour in trading the Dead and Captured 14:45  |  De 16/10/07
      32.   #2#Sabra, when that day come YOU would be wrong 14:50  |  Hussein 16/10/07
      33.   #6 Rowan Berkeley 14:58  |  Sarah 16/10/07
      34.   #10 Peter SM 15:03  |  Sarah 16/10/07
      35.   # 6 Avoiding Responsibility 15:04  |  Tony Anthony 16/10/07
      36.   El Moore the idiot 15:06  |  Drilling it in 16/10/07
      37.   Walid 15:07  |  Sarah 16/10/07
      38.   Esther 15:08  |  Walid 16/10/07
      39.   Peter SM (SB?) 15:09  |  Sarah 16/10/07
      40.   Lynn 15:19  |  Walid 16/10/07
      41.   Star of David and Sabra 15:29  |  Walid 16/10/07
      42.   This obsession with remains.... 15:32  |  Dan 16/10/07
      43.   Return our missing soldiers or Gaza City turns into dust 15:36  |  pace306 16/10/07
      44.   #6 Rowan Berkley - London 15:43  |  *BEN JABO 16/10/07
      45.   Jonathan S 15:45  |  Walid 16/10/07
      46.   If Arad, Goldwasser and Regev are dead 15:56  |  Chick 16/10/07
      47.   Walid 16:02  |  Danite 16/10/07
      48.   Hizbo 16:13  |  Abraham 16/10/07
      49.   #42 Dan 16:14  |  hugo 16/10/07
      50.   To Peter SM 16:18  |  Clarification 16/10/07
      51.   #23 16:18  |  B 16/10/07
      52.   Dan`s Right, Trades Are Insane 16:27  |  dyinglikeflies 16/10/07
      53.   #8 Esther 16:38  |  Labhras 16/10/07
      54.   #39 Sarah 16:42  |  Peter SM 16/10/07
      55.   Sarah 16:43  |  Walid 16/10/07
      56.   #% FAKE Peter SM.tries to sell his lies by lying about himself 16:51  |  PETER SM 16/10/07
      57.   #4 Jonathan S 16:53  |  Labhras 16/10/07
      58.   A coward faking Peter SM ??? 16:54  |  CK Tan 16/10/07
      59.   HAARETZ EDITORS Re FAKE Peter SM.obviously has a different e mail 16:54  |  PETER SM 16/10/07
      60.   HIKING PRICE "Arab honor" What a joke?? They can`t be trusted 16:59  |  PETER SM 16/10/07
      61.   To Peter SM- Israle has done the humane thing 17:01  |  Rustam 16/10/07
      62.   #52 dyinglikeflies 17:02  |  Labhras 16/10/07
      63.   Danite 17:03  |  Walid 16/10/07
      64.   #53 Labrat 17:14  |  Sol 16/10/07
      65.   Labhras 17:18  |  Walid 16/10/07
      66.   #30 millie 17:19  |  Labhras 16/10/07
      67.   Re Labhras #53 17:22  |  Esther 16/10/07
      68.   FAKE Peter SM.You obviously need to steal credibility.Why is that 17:24  |  PETER SM 16/10/07
      69.   FAKE Peter SM.No honor while loftily pontificating 17:27  |  PETER SM 16/10/07
      70.   Rustam 17:30  |  Walid 16/10/07
      71.   Paying a high price encourages more of the same 17:32  |  Jason from colorado 16/10/07
      72.   #64 sol in far away Toronto contemplating "Aliyah" 17:39  |  Labhras 16/10/07
      73.   Sol 17:43  |  Walid 16/10/07
      74.   Labhras, #62- My Tail Stands High, thanks 17:43  |  dyinglikeflies 16/10/07
      75.   #72 Labrat 17:53  |  Sol 16/10/07
      76.   #73 Walid 18:00  |  Sol 16/10/07
      77.   #67 Esther 18:03  |  Labhras 16/10/07
      78.   Sol 18:19  |  Walid 16/10/07
      79.   Berlin releases Iranian 18:20