Germany insists it has made no commitments to the kidnappers of two German relief workers in Lebanon to release a pair of Arab terrorists from prison in Germany.
A statement Monday by the Foreign Ministry denied news reports in Israel that Germany promised to free the brothers Mohammed and Abbas Hamadi or pay ransom to the Hamadi clan in Lebanon, believed to be holding the two German nationals hostage.
The kidnappers have hinted in recent days that the release of the Germans, Heinrich Strubig and Thomas Kemptner, was imminent. That triggered rumors of a possible deal with Bonn for an exchange of prisoners.
But officials here stressed Germany is standing by its resolve not to give in to terrorists.
Mohammed Hamadi is serving a life sentence for the 1985 hijacking of a TWA airliner and the murder of U.S. Navy diver Robert Stethem. He was tried in Germany after Bonn refused an extradition request from the United States.
Abbas Hamadi is serving a 13-year sentence for kidnapping two Germans in Lebanon in an unsuccessful ploy to free his brother. Those kidnap victims were subsequently released.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
