CIA-RDP96-00789R000401020007-8

Jimmy Carter Flies to Damase
Approved For Release 2000/08708 : CIA-RDP96-00789R000401020007-8
Amid Efforts to Free Hostages
Knight-Ridder
DAMASCUS, Syria, March 14-
Jimmy Carter, whose presidency
was bedeviled by the Iran hostage
crisis, arrived here today amid ef-
forts to free Westerners being held
captive in Lebanon.
In arrival remarks, Carter said
that Syria, which maintains 40,000
troops in Lebanon, is "eager" to
gain the release of the hostages,
fand Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk
"Charaa, who received Carter, con-
firmed that his government is work-
ing toward such a goal.
As Charaa greeted the former
U.S. president, Syrian troops tight-
ened their control around suburbs
of the Moslem sector of the Leb-
anese capital, where Iranian-backed
militias are believed to be holding
the hostages.
Syrian troops moved after the
Iranian-supported militia Hezbollah,
.
the group reportedly responsible
for some of the abductions, skir-
'» mished with the pro-Syrian Amal .. hostage, crisis in which Iran fre-
" force near where the hostages are" ' quently confounded his administra-
said to be held.
The fighting, combined with the
Syrian military move and Carter's
arrival, increased speculation about
a possible hostage release.
Optimistic statements in recent
weeks by Syria, Iran and the leader
of Hezbollah also have created a
climate of expectation. Friday will
mark the fifth anniversary in cap-
tivity of American journalist Terry
Anderson, the longest-held hostage.
However, Syrian and Western
sources on Tuesday cast doubt on
an imminent hostage release in
light of renewed infighting in Iran
between moderates and militants
precisely over the hostages.
While Carter said Syria was se-
rious in its efforts to release the
hostages, he was less sanguine
about Iran.
"Those statements from Tehran
are equivocal, you know, one day
it's a positive statement and the
next day it's a rejection of the pos-
itive statement," Carter said in re-
marks reminiscent of the 1979-81
tion with contradictory actions.
It asking for Por
Approved For Release 2000/08/08 : CIA-RDP96-00789R000401020007-8
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