Syria hands over Lebanese prisoners

Syria on Thursday released some 130 Lebanese prisoners from its jails and handed them over to Lebanese authorities.

The prisoners arrived in Syrian military buses at the Lebanese-Syrian border crossing-point Masnaa to anxiously awaiting relatives and friends.

After a brief stop during which they waved and smiled at the cheering crowd, the prisoners were transferred to two Lebanese army buses which took them to the military police headquarters in the capital, Beirut.

Judicial sources said many of them would go on trial here for crimes they had committed, adding that others who had served their sentence would be freed.

The president had on Wednesday received a phone call from Syrian President Hafez al-Assad, who informed him of the impending release. Hrawi reportedly thanked Assad for the move, the first of its kind since the end of the 1975-90 civil war.

Officials said many of the prisoners released had been in jail for at least 10 years, some more. There was no list of the names of the prisoners.

At least 25 Lebanese remain in Syrian jails and have been accused of spying for Israel, the officials said.