Hizbullah-"Israel" Swap Deal Signed, Execution Begins
Source: Al-Manar TV, 08-07-2008
‘Israeli' government sources have confirmed that ‘Israel' has taken the first steps towards paying the swap deal agreed upon with Hizbullah for the return of two captured ‘Israeli' occupation soldiers, information about a third MIA and the bodies of several others.
Implementation of the deal began on Monday with the exhumation of over 190 graves by the ‘Israeli' occupation army Chief Rabbinate at the Cemetery for resistance fighters in northern occupied Palestine.
The ‘Israeli' Prime Minister's Office responded to questions about the implementation of the exchange, dubbed Operation Return of the Sons, by stating that it formally got underway with the signing of terms. Ofer Dekel, the ‘Israeli' government's appointee for MIA negotiations, signed the deal Monday evening during a meeting with the UN-appointed German mediator Gerhard Konrad.
This confirmed earlier statements by Hizbullah sources that the swap deal negotiated with ‘Israel' had been given final approval with the signature of a representative of the resistance organization. The exchange is expected to take place in the next 10 days to two weeks.
"The continued implementation of the deal is conditioned on several components regarding which no details will be given," a spokesperson for the ‘Israeli' Prime Minister explained in a statement.
Dekel did not receive the Hizbullah report on the whereabouts and status of captured IAF navigator Ron Arad, shot down over Lebanon in 1986. "It will be received following the completion of the clarification process between the UN envoy and Hizbullah," the PMO statement said. ‘Israel' has passed along a set of questions to be answered by the resistance group.
The continuation of the exchange is contingent on the information the Hizbullah's report on Arad contains, according to sources in the Prime Minister's Office. "After the report is received, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert will convene the Cabinet to discuss the continued implementation of the deal," Olmert's spokesperson said.
‘Israeli' daily Haaretz reported Tuesday that in any case it seems the final report on Arad will not influence the cabinet decision to proceed with the swap.
Even as the deal with Hizbullah gets underway, the Iranian Ambassador to the UN called on UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon to assist Tehran in "returning the four diplomats" missing since the first Lebanon War in 1982. Iran has stated previously that it believes ‘Israel' is aware of the whereabouts and fate of four Iranian agents who were in Lebanon at the time. ‘Israel' is expected to pass on a report containing intelligence regarding the issue to Hizbullah as part of the ongoing exchange process.
The next stage of the deal would come in another three weeks, after the ‘Israeli' cabinet determines the number of detainees to be released and their identities.
‘Israeli' government sources have confirmed that ‘Israel' has taken the first steps towards paying the swap deal agreed upon with Hizbullah for the return of two captured ‘Israeli' occupation soldiers, information about a third MIA and the bodies of several others.
Implementation of the deal began on Monday with the exhumation of over 190 graves by the ‘Israeli' occupation army Chief Rabbinate at the Cemetery for resistance fighters in northern occupied Palestine.
The ‘Israeli' Prime Minister's Office responded to questions about the implementation of the exchange, dubbed Operation Return of the Sons, by stating that it formally got underway with the signing of terms. Ofer Dekel, the ‘Israeli' government's appointee for MIA negotiations, signed the deal Monday evening during a meeting with the UN-appointed German mediator Gerhard Konrad.
This confirmed earlier statements by Hizbullah sources that the swap deal negotiated with ‘Israel' had been given final approval with the signature of a representative of the resistance organization. The exchange is expected to take place in the next 10 days to two weeks.
"The continued implementation of the deal is conditioned on several components regarding which no details will be given," a spokesperson for the ‘Israeli' Prime Minister explained in a statement.
Dekel did not receive the Hizbullah report on the whereabouts and status of captured IAF navigator Ron Arad, shot down over Lebanon in 1986. "It will be received following the completion of the clarification process between the UN envoy and Hizbullah," the PMO statement said. ‘Israel' has passed along a set of questions to be answered by the resistance group.
The continuation of the exchange is contingent on the information the Hizbullah's report on Arad contains, according to sources in the Prime Minister's Office. "After the report is received, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert will convene the Cabinet to discuss the continued implementation of the deal," Olmert's spokesperson said.
‘Israeli' daily Haaretz reported Tuesday that in any case it seems the final report on Arad will not influence the cabinet decision to proceed with the swap.
Even as the deal with Hizbullah gets underway, the Iranian Ambassador to the UN called on UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon to assist Tehran in "returning the four diplomats" missing since the first Lebanon War in 1982. Iran has stated previously that it believes ‘Israel' is aware of the whereabouts and fate of four Iranian agents who were in Lebanon at the time. ‘Israel' is expected to pass on a report containing intelligence regarding the issue to Hizbullah as part of the ongoing exchange process.
The next stage of the deal would come in another three weeks, after the ‘Israeli' cabinet determines the number of detainees to be released and their identities.
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