Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, leader of Lebanon's Hizbullah resistance movement, said on Wednesday that the upcoming weeks will be "decisive" with regards to the prisoner exchange deal with Israel.
"At present, we are discussing the number and identity of prisoners to be released," he told a Beirut conference.
Nasrallah stressed his movement has not given up on the release of Palestinian prisoners in the framework of the deal, contrary to reports in Israel.
"The Israeli media has disrupted reports about the deal in formation, which has negatively affected the morale, when they reported the swap would include only Lebanese prisoners.
"I say unequivocally, the prisoner swap will include the release of Lebanese, Syrians, Jordanians and undoubtedly, Palestinians."
He added that "in the last three years, there have been discussions surrounding the issue of the prisoners. In the last year, the discussions have been far more serious, however, problems still exist, and the next few weeks will be decisive." (Albawaba.com)
© 2003 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
