Egypt has turned down an American request to free Israeli prisoner Azzam Azzam in exchange for Israel's release of Lebanese prisoner Samir Kuntar, according to al Quds al-Arabi on Thursday.
Kuntar is jailed in Israel since a 1979 attack in Nahariya, in which he killed three members of the same family and an Israeli policeman.
The paper, citing Arab and Palestinian sources said a senior US administration official met some ten days ago with Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak and offered him to release Azzam Azzam, jailed in Egypt since 1996 for spying for Israel, in exchange for Kuntar.
The reported US intervention was a bid to move forward the prisoner swap deal between Israel and Hizbullah, and came at Israel's request, according to the London-based newspaper.
Hizbullah chief Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah has said that all
Lebanese prisoners, including Kuntar, must be released for the deal to go through, however, Israel, on its part, has refused to release Kuntar. (Albawaba.com)
© 2003 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
