Lebanon's ex- President Amin Gemayel on Friday denied telling an Israeli newspaper that two Israeli troops captured by Hizbullah last summer are still alive, saying he had no information about their condition. Gemayel's office, who said he was participating in a conference in Madrid, issued a statement saying Gemayel "denies completely" speaking to any Israeli media about any issue.
Earlier, Israel's Maariv newspaper quoted Gemayel and a second Lebanese politician in interviews as saying the two were alive. They said they hoped the soldiers would return home in good health.
"With regards to the matter of the fate of the two captive Israeli soldiers, President Gemayel does not possess any information about this matter and he is in no capacity to speak about it," a statement from his office said.
Another Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth said Gemayel spoke to its reporter on the sidelines of the Madrid conference on stalled Middle East peacemaking. The daily quoted Gemayel as saying that he hoped a peace deal between Israel and Lebanon would be possible in the future. "Peace with Israel? I wish. I hope. But this is not the time from our point of view or from your point of view," he said.
Gemayel was president of Lebanon from 1982 to 1988.
