Germany: Israeli-Lebanon prisoner swap result of agent's efforts
(Video) Confidential memorandum obtained by AP details involvement of German secret service officer in brokering prisoner exchange deal between Israel, Hizbullah
VIDEO - The German government says one of its agents helped broker a prisoner swap between Israel and Hizbullah through what it called "difficult and protracted" efforts.
A confidential memorandum from Chancellor Angela Merkel's office obtained by The Associated Press on Tuesday said the German secret service agent worked for 18 months to help arrange the exchange.
"He overcame this task through difficult and protracted efforts," the memo said, "racking up more than 435,000 miles in air travel to locations including New York, Tel Aviv, Beirut and several European
capitals."
Video courtesy of infolive.tv
The memorandum does not identify the agent, but it said he drew on the secret service's large network of contacts in the Middle East to help secure the deal for Israel to hand over five imprisoned Lebanese gunman and the bodies of 199 Lebanese and Palestinian fighters in exchange for two Israeli soldiers who are presumed dead. The exchange is to take place on Wednesday.
The memo further said the German government considers the exchange as only a step in Germany's long-term process of helping Israel to resolve the fate of all its missing citizens, pledging to continue working to resolve the fate of other missing Israelis.
German agents also helped broker Israeli-Lebanese prisoner swaps in 1996 and 2004.
