IRANIAN, SYRIAN OFFICIALS MEET ON HOSTAGES

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: STARGATE
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP96-00789R000400020005-1
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: November 4, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 25, 1998
• Sequence Number: 5
• Publication Date: March 5, 1990
• Content Type: NSPR

- rowor;Release 2000/08/08 : CIA-RDP96-00789R000400020005-1
IVIOIVDAY,MASCi!
Iranian, Syrian
Officials Meet
On Hostages
Associated Press
DAMASCUS, Syria, March 4-A
senior Iranian envoy met today with
Syria's foreign minister and dis-
cussed efforts to free Western hos-
tages held in Lebanon, an informed
source said.
The Syrian source, who refused
to be identified further, said the
meeting between Iranian diplomat
Mahmoud Hashemi and Syrian For-
eign Minister Farouk Charaa "ap-
pears to be to coordinate efforts
between the governments of Syria
and Iran to gain the release of all
the hostages" held by pro-Iranian
Shiite Moslem militants in Lebanon.
Syria, Iran's main Arab ally, has
been instrumental in helping re-
lease Western hostages in the past.
It has 40,000 troops deployed in
much of Lebanon.
The source said Hashemi, the
brother. of. Iranian President All
Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, delivered
"a very cordial message" to Charaa
from Iranian Foreign Minister Ali
Akbar Velayati, including an invita-
tion for him to visit Tehran to meet
with Rafsanjani and Iran's spiritual
leader, Ayatollah All Khamenei.
The source said Hashemi arrived
here after a visit to Beirut, where
he met with senior Shiite Moslem
figures on the hostage issue.
"Nobody can be precise, about
how long the process will take.
There appears to be a genuine de-
sire by the Iranian president to end
this ordeal. But there are still dif-
ficulties," the source said.
h
Most of t
e de ~~ o r Re l e
anon, who include e n ,
se 2000/08/08 : CIA-RDP96-00789R0d0400020005-1
are believed held by Shiite Moslem
groups loyal to Iran.