Oman paper: 2nd phase of prisoner deal may be reached soon

Israeli officials denied on Friday a newspaper report that it had received new information on the fate of missing Israel Air Force navigator Ron Arad.

The Oman-based Al-Watan daily reported that Hezbollah has recently released new and credible information on Arad under the terms of the second stage of the prisoner exchange deal between Israel and the Lebanon-based militia.

According to the paper, which based its information on reports from "sources closely following the negotiations" over an exchange of prisoners between Israel and Hezbollah, the new information is liable to prompt the implementation of the second stage of the deal within two or three weeks.

However, sources close to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon on Friday denied the reports, saying that they were "another spin by Hezbollah," Channel Two television reported.

"This is corroborated and credible information," the sources told Al-Watan. They clarified that all parties to the negotiations understand that Arad is no longer alive. Hezbollah had provided Israel with human bone fragments a number of times in the past, claiming they belonged to Arad, but Israeli forensics experts determined the fragments did not come from the missing navigator. Arad disappeared after bailing out of his plane over Lebanon in 1986.

German mediator Ernst Uhrlau traveled to Lebanon this week to receive the new information on Arad from Hezbollah Secretary General Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah.

Uhrlau journeyed from Lebanon to Israel via Cyprus. The belief in Lebanon is that Uhrlau's team is remaining in the region and is determined to secure a final formulation of a deal that would be acceptable to both Israel and Hezbollah.

In early September, Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz confirmed Israel was continuing its efforts to obtain information on Arad. He added that there were some new channels of communication that Israel, along with the team of German mediators, were exploring.

Nasrallah is the only Hezbollah figure authorized to carry out negotiations over a prisoner exchange with Israel.

According to Friday's report in Al-Watan, Nasrallah gave Uhrlau a list of Hezbollah prisoners he wants Israel to release.

Hezbollah is interested in securing the release of Samir Kuntar, who murdered three members of Nahariya's Haran family, and Israeli policeman Eliyahu Shahar, in 1979. The Lebanese organization also wants the release of other Arab and Palestinian prisoners.

Nasrallah has previously hinted he is interested in securing the release of Israeli Arab prisoners as well as Druze from the Golan Heights being held in Israeli jails who consider themselves Syrian.

However, on August 21, Israeli security officials had dismissed claims by Nasrallah that talks between the two sides were to be renewed as "psychological warfare," Army Radio reported.

The Hezbollah-run television station Al-Manar had quoted a speech in Beirut by Nasrallah, in which he reportedly said that the two sides were to embark on negotiations for the second stage of a prisoner exchange deal.

According to Nasrallah's August statements, Uhrlau - who brokered the January 2004 deal between the two sides - was then in Lebanon trying to advance the next stage of talks.

"I confirm on this occasion that negotiations are still going on with the German mediator ... but there is a pledge by both sides not to speak in detail about what is going on so that we don't fall into complications," Nasrallah said during a wake for the brother of a Hezbollah official.

"I tell Palestinian prisoners and [Lebanese prisoner] Samir Kuntar and all prisoners in Israeli jails you are and you will remain Hezbollah's cause in all fields until we reach the opportunity of relief and liberation," the Hezbollah leader said.

The January 2004 deal saw the return of kidnapped Israeli businessman Elhanan Tennenbaum and the bodies of three Israel Defense Forces soldiers killed on the northern border in October 2000. In exchange, Israel released hundreds of Palestinian and Lebanese prisoners as well as the bodies of dozens of Lebanese militants.

The deal also saw the release by Israel of Sheikh Abed Karim Obeid, a Hezbollah leader captured in Lebanon in 1989, and Mustafa Dirani, head of the Amal militia who was captured in 1994. Both were snatched by Israel to be used as bargaining chips in an effort to obtain information on Arad's fate.

	Hezbollah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah met in Lebanon this week with German mediator Ernst Uhrlau. (Archive)