55,438 Iraqi POWs Released by Iran Since 1981
August 11, 1999 - 0:0
TEHRAN -- Since 1981, Iran has released 55,438 Iraqi prisoners of war (POWs) on 103 occasions and Iraq in turn has released 39,417 Iranian war prisoners on 70 occasions, Head of Commission on Iranian POWs Brigadier General Abdullah Najafi told reporters here on Tuesday. Najafi said that Iranian and Iraqi delegations have been engaged in talks on the issue for a period of about five years in two phases.
He said no progress was attained in the first phase of the talks, held between 1994 and 1997 with the iraqi side failing to show necessary will in this regard. To show its good will Iran started releasing unilaterally iraqi pows on five occasions, he added. Najafi said that fundamental steps were taken for removal of disagreements between the two countries in the next phase of the talks from January In the talks, held in Baghdad from July 24 to August 3 this year, the two sides eventually put the number of registered Iraqi POWs in Iran at two with fate of three others being under investigation, said najafi.
The Red Cross's list puts the number of Iraqi POWs in Iran at 972, said Najafi, adding that out of this group some have sought asylum in Iran, some have died and fate of 666 others is under investigation. As for the Red Cross's list, containing names of 3,146 POWs, Najafi said studies showed that names of many pows were repeated in the list.
Hence, the latest version of the list corrected the figure and decreased it to 2,525 POWs, said Najafi, adding that fate of some of the pows is known and there are studies underway on fate of 2,283 others. He said that within this period, Iraqis reduced the names of Iranian POWs as mentioned in the Red Cross's list to 2,923 from 3,500. The list, he added, is under investigation and Iraq should clarify fate of the POWs. On recent talks with Iraq, Najafi said that upon his arrival in Iraq, ordinary talks were held but on the second day, the Iranian delegation realized that special conditioned prevailed in the negotiations.
In days that followed head of the Iraqi delegation linked any decision on the date for exchange of POWs with receipt of permission from senior Iraqi authorities, said Najafi, adding that having heard it, the Iranian delegation protested the Iraqi party that a POW is not an ordinary prisoner on whose freedom decisions could be made this way. At the end of their talks, he added, the Iranian and Iraqi delegations drafted a report in order to be signed by two parties.
the Iranian delegation, however, refused to sign it in view of drastic changes made in its contents by the Iraqi foreign minister. The Iranian official blamed procrastination of the Iraqi government for failure of that round of talks and said it was contrntry to Iranian delegation's gesture of good will in that phase of talks. On Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's recent claim that there was no Iranian POW in Iraq, Najafi said the Iraqi delegation has confirmed existence of Iranian war prisoners in Iraq and Saddam Hussein had better accept such confirmation.
According to a report from Central News Bureau yesterday the Head of Supreme Assembly of Islamic Republic of Iraq (SAIRI) Ayatollah Mohammad Baqer Hakim called on the Arabs and Islamic states to help the Iraqi people overthrow Saddam Hussein. Following his meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah in Riyadh, Hakim said in order to prevent West's intervention in regional affairs, it is necessary to support the forces opposing Saddam. Hakim, an Iraqi high Shia religious authority said the Shias are ready to resist Saddam's regime.
Meanwhile, the Iraqi daily Babel made baseless allegations against Iran, and claimed that hostile remarks made by Iraqi President Saddam Hussein against the Islamic Republic were a show of goodwill. However as the Iranian officials have said the Iraqi president's insulting remarks were inspired by a feeling of failure and humiliation.
He said no progress was attained in the first phase of the talks, held between 1994 and 1997 with the iraqi side failing to show necessary will in this regard. To show its good will Iran started releasing unilaterally iraqi pows on five occasions, he added. Najafi said that fundamental steps were taken for removal of disagreements between the two countries in the next phase of the talks from January In the talks, held in Baghdad from July 24 to August 3 this year, the two sides eventually put the number of registered Iraqi POWs in Iran at two with fate of three others being under investigation, said najafi.
The Red Cross's list puts the number of Iraqi POWs in Iran at 972, said Najafi, adding that out of this group some have sought asylum in Iran, some have died and fate of 666 others is under investigation. As for the Red Cross's list, containing names of 3,146 POWs, Najafi said studies showed that names of many pows were repeated in the list.
Hence, the latest version of the list corrected the figure and decreased it to 2,525 POWs, said Najafi, adding that fate of some of the pows is known and there are studies underway on fate of 2,283 others. He said that within this period, Iraqis reduced the names of Iranian POWs as mentioned in the Red Cross's list to 2,923 from 3,500. The list, he added, is under investigation and Iraq should clarify fate of the POWs. On recent talks with Iraq, Najafi said that upon his arrival in Iraq, ordinary talks were held but on the second day, the Iranian delegation realized that special conditioned prevailed in the negotiations.
In days that followed head of the Iraqi delegation linked any decision on the date for exchange of POWs with receipt of permission from senior Iraqi authorities, said Najafi, adding that having heard it, the Iranian delegation protested the Iraqi party that a POW is not an ordinary prisoner on whose freedom decisions could be made this way. At the end of their talks, he added, the Iranian and Iraqi delegations drafted a report in order to be signed by two parties.
the Iranian delegation, however, refused to sign it in view of drastic changes made in its contents by the Iraqi foreign minister. The Iranian official blamed procrastination of the Iraqi government for failure of that round of talks and said it was contrntry to Iranian delegation's gesture of good will in that phase of talks. On Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's recent claim that there was no Iranian POW in Iraq, Najafi said the Iraqi delegation has confirmed existence of Iranian war prisoners in Iraq and Saddam Hussein had better accept such confirmation.
According to a report from Central News Bureau yesterday the Head of Supreme Assembly of Islamic Republic of Iraq (SAIRI) Ayatollah Mohammad Baqer Hakim called on the Arabs and Islamic states to help the Iraqi people overthrow Saddam Hussein. Following his meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah in Riyadh, Hakim said in order to prevent West's intervention in regional affairs, it is necessary to support the forces opposing Saddam. Hakim, an Iraqi high Shia religious authority said the Shias are ready to resist Saddam's regime.
Meanwhile, the Iraqi daily Babel made baseless allegations against Iran, and claimed that hostile remarks made by Iraqi President Saddam Hussein against the Islamic Republic were a show of goodwill. However as the Iranian officials have said the Iraqi president's insulting remarks were inspired by a feeling of failure and humiliation.