Hizbullah denies halting of negotiations with Israel over hostages, efforts to release al-Qintar, other prisoners

The Lebanese Hizbullah party stressed the negotiations with Israel over the release of so far Lebanese prisoners held in the Israeli jails are still continuous and have not reached a deadlock. This, however, following months after a deal for the exchange of hundreds of prisoners between the two sides.

The deputy secretary of the Hizbullah party, Sheikh Naem Qasem, said before a meeting for supporters that the file of the detainees in the Israeli jails was not closed and that Hizbullah continues following up the case of Samir al-Qintar and his brothers. He added that the party does not consider that Israel, for its part, had closed this file.

The two sides carried out an agreement under a German mediation in January this year according to which hundreds of Arab prisoners were exchanged for one Israeli kidnapped buisnessman and three bodies for Israeli soldiers.

It is, however, expected that the second round of negotiations will concentrate on the fate of the Israeli pilot Ron Arada who was missing in Lebanon in addition to other four Iranian diplomats who were also missing there.

Israeli and Lebanese mass media expected in May reaching a nearby agreement according to which al-Qintar is released, for information about the fate of pilot Arad.

Sources closes to the negoiations in Lebanon said that Arad is dead and Hizbullah keeps its remains and the German mediators notified Israel about that.