Israel to release 20 Jordanian prisoners
Prisoners set to be released in goodwill gesture ahead of meeting in Amman; ministers call on Syria to withdraw from Lebanon; Mulki's visit to Israel another sign of thaw in relations
TEL AVIV - Israel is set to release about 20 Jordanian prisoners incarcerated in Israel by the end of this month, sources in Jerusalem reported.
The announcement was made following a meeting between Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom and his Jordanian counterpart Hani al-Mulki in Tel Aviv Saturday evening.
This was the first meeting between such high level officials to be held in Israel in four years.
Prisoner release top priority
Mulki said the release of prisoners was a top priority for his country.
"We hope the prisoners will be released and believe we can solve this issue, if not not now then either this month or next," he said. "The prisoners are important to us, and we want to see them free, but our ties with Israel are not based on this," he said.
Shalom to visit Jordan
Shalom is expected to make a state visit to Jordan in two weeks. The prisoner release deal is set to be carried out as a goodwill gesture ahead of the scheduled visit in Amman.
Shalom said several internal meetings with the prime minister and defense minister were held on the prisoner release.
"Everyone is involved and trying to find a solution to the problem," he said.
Mulki and Shalom also discussed the ongoing protests in Lebanon. Mulki said Syria must withdraw from Lebanon in accordance with U.N. Security Council Resolution 1559.
"Syria can't ignore the existense of the resolution," he said. "If Syria so wishes, we could assist her to fulfill the resolution. But all U.N. resolutions must be implemented," he said.
