French woman released, 6 Westerners still missing in Beirut

Press, 2 April 1985, Page 10

French woman released, 6 Westerners still missing in Beirut

NZPA-AP Beirut A French Embassy employee, Danielle Perez, has been freed unharmed after 10 days in captivity. She was the third Westerner whose release had been foretold by a mysterious group calling itself the Khaibar Brigades, which also claimed responsibility for all three kidnappings. Six other Westerners remained missing yesterday after being abducted at gunpoint or disappearing since March 14. The police said a rash of kidnappings of Lebanese Jews continued yesterday with the abduction of Ishaq Sassoun, dragged from his home in the old Jewish quarter of Wadi Abu Jamil by three gunmen. He was the fourth Jew abducted in four days. A French Embassy spokesman, Marcel Laugel, confirmed Mrs Perez’s release, but refused to give details. Mr Laugel said Mrs Perez, the embassy’s cultural section secretary, was well treated, and she was in excellent health. In the southern port of Sidon, artillery and gunfire continued for a third

straight day yesterday as Christian Lebanese forces militiamen battled Palestinian guerrillas, Muslim fighters and Lebanese soldiers. Four people were reported killed and six wounded, raising the weekend toll in Lebanon to at least 51 dead and more than 140 wounded. Mrs Perez, aged 34, disappeared with her father, the embassy’s protocol officer, Marcel Carton, aged 62, while the two were going to their offices in mostly Muslim west Beirut on March 22. The French Vice-Consul, Marcel Fontaine, aged 45, was kidnapped by gunmen near the embassy the same day. Another Frenchman, Gilles Peyrolles, aged 32, head of the French cultural centre in north Lebanon’s port city of Tripoli, also has been missing since March 23. Mr Laugel said there was absolutely no word on the French citizens still missing. Nor was there news of the missing foreigners: American Terry Anderson, aged 37, chief Middle East correspondent of the Associated Press, the Rev. Nicolas

Kluiters, aged 44, Dutch Roman Catholic priest, and Alec Collett, aged 63, a British writer. Anonymous phone callers have claimed responsibility for most of the abductions in the name of Islamic Jihad (Holy War) a group believed to be made up of radical Shi’ite Muslims loyal to Iran. The newspaper, quoting unidentified Western Intelligence sources, said the warning was given to Iran in a message from the White House conveyed by the Swiss diplomatic mission in Teheran in early March. The message did not specify possible retaliation, but the sources said the United States guided missile cruiser Texas, now in the Persian Gulf area, might be used to strike at Iranian ports, the “Times” said. Asked about the newspaper report, a State Department spokeswoman said in Washington: “President Reagan and other Administration officials have expressed our determination to respond with whatever actions we deem most appropriate against those responsible for terrorist attacks.”