A Lebanese woman, supporter of Hizbullah, casts her vote in the ancient city of Baalbek in east Lebanon on sunday during the final phase of the country's first municipal elections in 35 years
  (photo: AFP)

Amal-Hizbullah rivalry delays prisoner swap

By Zeina Khodr

The long-standing power struggle was, according to top diplomatic sources in Beirut, the main reason behind the delay of a prisoner swap between Lebanon and Israel.

"It was apparent that both groups were trying to exploit the prisoner exchange to gain ground in the municipal elections in the Bekaa governorate," one diplomat said.

But Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Al-Hariri denied that negotiations concerning the swap had come to a standstill because of the Amal-Hizbullah rivalry. "I am personally taking care of the swap and I have informed [House Speaker] Nabih Berri, who also heads the Amal, of what has happened so far," he said. "I hope that we will reach an agreement soon."

Negotiations between Lebanon and Israel, conducted through the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), got underway last September. They followed a botched Israeli commando operation in the southern Lebanese village of Ansariyeh, several kilometres north of the zone Israel occupies in the southern region of the country. Ten elite Israeli commandos were killed in the operation when Hizbullah and Amal resistance fighters along with the Lebanese army put up a fight. Amal and Hizbullah retained some of the bodies of the Israeli soldiers.

During negotiations, Israel said it would be ready to exchange Lebanese prisoners held in Israeli detention centres as well as the bodies of resistance fighters killed in the occupation zone for the remains of their soldiers.

But Amal and Hizbullah statements last week gave conflicting views concerning the swap. While Hizbullah stated that more than 100 Lebanese prisoners and corpses, including that of Hadi Nasrallah, son of Hizbullah's Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, would be released soon, Amal said it had rejected the deal between Israel and Hizbullah. "We will not hand over the head of Itamar Iliya because the party [Amal] is unhappy with the list of names of those to be released," Amal said. "We are demanding the release of 30 of our members currently being held in the Israeli detention centre in the occupied village of Khiam." The statement was released as negotiations reached the final stages.

Hizbullah and Amal were locked in fierce battle in the local ballot in the Bekaa, traditionally a Hizbullah stronghold. Hizbullah suffered a heavy blow after it lost in the city of Baalbeck. The group played down the results, however, emphasising its victory in smaller municipalities in Bekaa. "An assessment of the party's presence in the area should not be limited to the city, but should be judged on the whole Baalbeck-Hermel region," said Hizbullah MP Ibrahim Amin Sayed. "Hizbullah had a complete victory in two out of three electoral centres in the area. Our defeat does not mean our influence has waned."

Amal backed a ticket in Baalbeck which won 16 of 21 seats on the municipal Council. "Although Amal as a party was not at the forefront of the race, and party members did not sign up, we consider this [outcome] a victory," the party said. Over the past few weeks, the struggle between Amal and Hizbullah has reached a peak, with both sides trying to grab as many seats as possible in municipal councils in the various governorates. It is not yet clear which party has proven to be stronger, but the rivalry is expected to intensify during the two years before the next scheduled parliamentary elections.

In a move apparently intended to avoid disputes, Prime Minister Al-Hariri immediately tightened control over the negotiations and asked the ICRC to make contacts exclusively with his office.

"The prime minister received the ICRC representative to Lebanon, Jean-Jacques Fresard, and requested him not to make contact with any official or non-official Lebanese party about the swap operation," Al-Hariri's press office stated. "Negotiations between the Lebanese government and Israel via the ICRC are still going on. When they are over, the government will announce the outcome."

Israel holds an estimated 50 Lebanese prisoners inside its borders and another 150 in the Khiam detention centre.

Government sources said the swap may take place in the last week of June. "Progress has been achieved and if nothing goes wrong, the swap will take place soon," said an official source.

However, Israel is not expected to release two high-ranking Islamist leaders abducted from their homes by Israeli commandos. "It is out of the question for Israel to release Sheikh Abdel-Karim Obeid and Mustafa Dirani," said Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu.

The last major swap operation between Hizbullah and Israel, under a German-brokered deal, was in July 1996 when Hizbullah exchanged the remains of two Israeli soldiers held since 1986 for the bodies of 126 Lebanese fighters and 15 Lebanese prisoners.