BEIRUT TO TRY TO HELP KIDNAPPED AMERICANS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP91-00587R000100200143-3
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 30, 2011
• Sequence Number: 143
• Publication Date: January 20, 1985
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

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Approved For Release 2011/08/31 :CIA-RDP91-005878000100200143-3
?~1F.[~; YOF.R TI?DES
20 Jar_uary .1985
Beirut to Try to ~ielp Kidnapped Americans
?,
- Special W the New Ymt times
BEIRUT, Lebanon, Jan. 19-,Prime
Minister Rashid Kara>?ni said today
that his Crovernment would try to,ob-
tain the release of.five Americans kid-
=napped in Moslem West Beinit in the
..last year.
'~ He made the announcement after
meeting with the United States Ambas.
sador, Reginald Bartholomew. "We
shall undertake the necessary contacts
T~ecause it is not proper that the iree-
~om of these Americans be restricted
in this fashion," he told reporters after
the meeting. .
" Mr. Karami, who is also Foreign
Minister, said his' talks with Mr. Bar-
tholomew concentrated ~ on recent
statements indicating that the kidnap.
pars planned a mock trial of the Amer-
icans.
' _ He was speaking of a statement to
this effect this week by an anonymous
caller who claimed to speak for the Is-
lamic Holy War getup. In calls to for-
eign news agencies here, the man ac-
ctisedthefive Americans of spying and
working for the Central Intelligence
Agency. .
The Islamic group, which is believed
to be made up of Shiite mndamentalists
linked to Iraq, took responsibility for
abducting the Americans. The same
group said it was responsible. for the
suicide bomb attacks against ~ the
United States Embassy and the head-
quarters of the American Marines.
The five missing Americus are Wil-
liam Buckley, a political officer at the
United States Embassy; Jeremy'Le-
vine, the thief of the Cable News Net-.
work bureau; the Rev. Benjamin Wier,
a Presbyterian minister; Peter. I{u-
burn, alibrarian at the American Uni-
versity of Beirut and the bleu. Law-
rence Martin Jenco, a Roman Catholic
priest working for Catholic Relief Serv-
ices. .
Mr. I{arami said the statement that
the Americans would be put on trial
had caused deep atudety because a?
trial would harm Lebanese~American'
relations and tarnish Lebanon's image
abroad.
The Prime Minister did not say with
whom the proposed contacts would be.
made to seek the .release of the hos-
tages, nor did he give any hint of
whether the Lebanese authorities knew
where'they.were being held.
United States officials have saidron
several occasions recently that theq
had information confirming that the
kidnapped Americans -were still alive.
Foreign and local news reports said the
hostages were believed to be in they
area of Baalbek in eastern Lebanon,!,
where militant Shute .activists are
.known to have. bases. .
Approved For Release 2011/08/31 :CIA-RDP91-005878000100200143-3