Israel was preparing today for the return of 56 prisoners of war held by Syria since the Yom Kippur War. The exchange will begin tomorrow, 24 hours after the signing of final disengagement documents by Israel and Syria in Geneva today. The POWs are expected to land at Ben Gurion Airport early tomorrow morning where they will be greeted by Premier Yitzhak Rabin. Defense Minister Shimon Peres, Chief of Staff Gen. Mordechai Gur and other senior officers.
Because the prisoners have been without news of events in Israel for many months, an officer will board the plane before they disembark to inform them of the change of government and let them know that the men who greet them are no less than the Premier and the Minister of Defense. The authorities will allow the returnees to greet their families waiting at the airport as they leave the plane. The released men will be taken from the airport to a military base for orders and information and then will be given 48 hours leave to spend with their families, a military source said.
On Sunday they will report to a pension in Zichron Yaacov for medical examinations and orientation lectures on developments in Israel and abroad during their captivity. Israel will free 382 Syrian POWs tomorrow as soon as word is received from Damascus that the plane carrying Israeli soldiers has taken off. The Red Cross has chartered a jumbo jet to carry all of the Syrian POWs home on a single flight.
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