Panel: Former Iraqi POWs may have information on Ron Arad

[Gimel]

The main recommendation of the Vinograd committee, appointed last year to review the case of missing Israel Air Force navigator Ron Arad, is that Israel should interrogate Iraqi airmen taken prisoner in Iran, who it believes may have information on the airman, Channel Two television's news program reported Wednesday.


<snip>

After receiving the report, Israel asked the U.S. to pursue this avenue of investigation, but the U.S. military turned down the request. Thereafter, Israel asked Washington to allow it carry out interviews of the Iraqis, but was again rebuffed.

On Tuesday, Channel One television revealed that the committee determined that there is no available information that can refute the
defense establishment's working assumption that Arad is still alive.


<snip>

The team concluded its investigation as a prisoner exchange deal is apparently being negotiated between Israel and Hezbollah. According to media reports, Arad is not part of the deal which will likely include the return of two Lebanese prisoners, Mustafa Dirani and
Sheikh Obeid. In the possible exchange, Israel hopes to receive businessman Elhanan Tannenbaum and three IDF soldiers who were kidnapped along the Israel-Lebanon border in October 2001.


<snip>

Arad was captured by the Amal militia in October 1986 after his plane went down over southern Lebanon due to a technical malfunction. He was
later transferred to Hezbollah and was also likely to have been in the hands of Iranian authorities.

http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/spages/336486.html