CALLER SAYS HOSTAGES WILL TALK TO PRESS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP91-00587R000100200076-8
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 30, 2011
• Sequence Number: 76
• Publication Date: September 30, 1985
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Approved For Release 2011/08/31 :CIA-RDP91-005878000100200076-8
ARTICLE
ON PAGE
Caller Says
Hostages Will
Ta 1 k to Press
By Nora Boustany
Special to The Washington Pont
BEIRUT, Sept. 29-A caller
claiming to speak for Islamic Jihad,
a group holding six Americans hos-
tage here, said today that some of
the prisoners would hold a press
conference and address a message
to the American public and the U.S.
government.
The anonymous caller to two
news agencies here, did not indicate
when or how the press conference
would take place or who among the
hostages would participate. But he
warned that after it takes place, the
U.S. government would have to "as-
sume full responsibility for the lives
of the hostages" and said that if the
United States did not respond sat
isfactorily to earlier unspecified de-
mands, "our attitude will be deci-
sive."
If the captives, some of whom
have been held for more than a
year, are produced at a press con-
ference, it would be their first pub-
lic appearance since they were kid-
naped.
While the caller made no de-
mands on behalf of the captors, the
warning suggested that demands
might be made at the press confer-
ence. The Rev. Benjamin Weir, a
Presbyterian minister freed Sept.
14 after 16 months in captivity, said
Islamic Jihad was prepared to ex- . .
ecute the remaining American hos-
tages if Kuwait did not free 1? ter-
rorists it has convicted in a series of
1983 bombings. '
[U.S. officials said in Washington
that they had no confirmation of the
reported press conference. Secre-
tary of State George P. Shultz, ap-
pearing on NBC's "Meet the Press,"
said. "We welcome any release, but
want all of the hostages back."
WASHINGTON POST
30 September 1985
[Shultz said, however, that the
United States would not press Ku-
wait to free its prisoners. "We don't
think it is wise to pressure for the
release of people who are being
held for ... killing people there in
exchange for the hostages," Shultz
said. "We don't agree with the ap-
proach of bargaining with people
who are kidnaping or hijacking or
whatever. ")
Today's messages came in anon-
ymous calls to two news agency of-
fices here. In both, a male, Arabic-
. speaking caller claimed to repre-
sent Islamic Jihad, or Islamic Holy
War, a terrorist group that has
claimed responsibility in similar .
calls for a number of kidnapings and
bomb attacks against U.S. Embassy
buildings and other western tar-
gets.
There was no way to authenti-
cate the calls.
The caller read a long statement
saying that Islamic Jihad was hostile
to American policy but not to the
American people.
He said, without elaborating, that
the hostages would address the
American people and government,
their families and humanitarian
agencies. "We also confirm to the
families of the hostages, American
public opinion and world public
opinion that as regards what hap-
pens after this period, the American
government will assume full re-
sponsibility for the lives of the hos-
tages," he said.
The six Americans, seized be-
tween March 1984 and last June, are
William Buckley, political officer at
the U.S. Embassy; the Rev. Law-
rence Jenco, Beirut director of the
U.S.-based Catholic Relief Services;
Terry Anderson, Middle East bureau
chief for The Associated Press, and
three employes of the American Uni-
versity of Beirut-Peter Kilburn, a
librarian; Thomas Sutherland, dean
of agriculture, and David Jacobsen,
administrative director of its hospi-
tal. Several others westerners have
been also kidnaped.
Today's caller said Weir had been
released to show that "we are not
enemies of the American people but
of the American policy that is crim-
inal against the oppressed people."
He also said Weir had been freed
"to prove our good intentions by re-
leasing hostages and fulfilling
pledges we have made and to give
the American government an oppor-
tunity, which has been extended. We
are waiting for it to expire after
which our attitude will be decisive."
This was in line with Weir's re- -
mark in a press conference in
Washington a week ago that "they
have released me as a sign of their
good intentions. However, they are
not willing to wait much longer."
Weir had cautioned that there
remained only a small "window of
opportunity" for gaining the release
of the six remaining Americans.
From conversations, Weir said he
understood his captors were "taking
extreme, radical action to recover
the 1? prisoners from Kuwait."
Kuwaiti courts have convicted
the 17, most of them Shiite Moslem
militants and two of them Leba-
nese, in bombings at the U.S. and
French embassies and other sites in
Kuwait on Dec. 12, 1983, in which
five persons were killed and 86
wounded.
Well-placed Arab diplomatic
sources and relatives of the Amer-
ican hostages have said that they
understand Islamic Jihad would set-
tle for the release of the two Leb-
anese prisoners in Kuwait.
Some observers here said it ap-
peared that the kidnapers were be-
coming desperate for some move-
ment on the issue of the prisoners
being held by Kuwait. Kuwaiti lead-
ers have said they will not be pres-
sured but press reports two months
ago said Kuwait was seeking a
pledge that no terrorist action
would be taken against it if the
bombers were freed.
There was no indication from the
caller about how a press conference
might be held. There was specula-
tion that because a live conference
could disclose the whereabouts of
the hostages or the identities of
their captors, the kidnapers might
conduct a videotaped conference
privately, as they have in the past.
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Approved For Release 2011/08/31 :CIA-RDP91-005878000100200076-8