Anglican Envoy in Beirut Plans to Meet Kidnapers

Terry Waite, the Archbishop of Canterbury’s special representative, said Saturday that he will meet Muslim extremists holding American captives.

However, Waite was short on specifics. He said the meeting will take place “at some point” but did not specify when.

Waite telephoned a Western news agency in Beirut from his hideaway in the Muslim sector to say that the meeting was arranged during “frequent” telephone conversations with the kidnapers since he arrived Wednesday.

If the meeting is held, it would be the first known talks between a Western intermediary and the extremists since they began abducting Americans in March, 1984.

The kidnapers are believed to be fundamentalists of the little-known group Islamic Jihad, which is seeking the release of 17 comrades jailed in Kuwait in the bombings of the U.S. and French embassies and Kuwaiti installations there in December, 1983.

Waite has said that after talking face-to-face with the kidnapers, he wants to see the hostages to verify that they are alive and well. He did not mention in his statement if such a meeting has been arranged but did say that he declined an initial offer from the kidnapers for a meeting “until I could be reasonably certain that I was dealing with the right people.”

Explaining his method of contacting the kidnapers, Waite said Saturday: “I put certain questions to my contact which could only be answered by one of the hostages.

‘Correct Answer’

“When the correct answer was received, I determined that the risk associated with a face-to-face meeting could be taken, and that meeting will take place at some point.”

He did not specify what the questions or answers were, or which hostage provided the information.

Waite, Archbishop Robert A.K. Runcie’s envoy, flew Wednesday to Beirut after four of the six missing Americans sent a letter to the Anglican primate, as well as one to President Reagan, appealing for their intervention.

The letters were signed by hostages Terry A. Anderson, the Associated Press’ chief Middle East correspondent; Father Lawrence Jenco, head of Catholic Charities here; David P. Jacobsen, director of the American University Hospital in Beirut, and Thomas Sutherland, dean of agriculture at the university.

Waite’s mission coincided with renewed political and diplomatic activity on behalf of the missing Americans and six other kidnaped Westerners in Lebanon.

Justice Minister Nabih Berri, leader of the Shia Muslim Amal militia, told reporters Saturday that he is “personally involved in efforts to secure the release” of the hostages. He did not elaborate but added, “I condemn all kidnapings.”

Berri said he sees “a real interest” in releasing the American hostages before Reagan meets Tuesday and Wednesday with Soviet leader Mikhail S. Gorbachev in Geneva.

Berri was a key figure in negotiating the release of 39 Americans held by Shia Muslims in June’s TWA jetliner hijacking.