Islamic Jihad Keeps Tough Hostage Line : Insists It Won’t Free Beirut Captives Until Its Demands Are Met

A group claiming to hold American hostages in Lebanon said Thursday that its captives will not be freed until a list of demands are met.

The assertion came in a written statement from a shadowy group calling itself Islamic Jihad (Islamic Holy War). The group delivered the statement to a news agency in Beirut accompanied by a photograph of hostage American journalist Terry A. Anderson, to prove the statement’s authenticity.

The group’s declaration appeared aimed at scotching widespread speculation that the cease-fire between Iran and Iraq, due to start Saturday, might result in the freeing of all or some of the Western hostages in Lebanon.

“After the increasing talk about the early release of the foreign hostages, we announce today the following: What everyone expects soon is a mirage assumed to be water by a thirsty man.”

No External Influence

The statement went on to argue that “regional and international developments will not be of use at all in releasing the captives in Lebanon.”

Rumors circulating in the West suggested that because the faction of so-called moderates appeared to have won the upper hand in Iran, leading to acceptance of a U.N. cease-fire with Iraq, the hostages stood a chance of being released soon as the moderates tried to improve relations with the West.

The nine Americans, three Britons and one West German missing in Lebanon are believed to be held by Iranian-funded and -supported groups of Shia Muslims, principally the Hezbollah, or Party of God. These groups are believed to operate under several names such as Islamic Jihad.

Fate in Their Hands

“We are the only side that decides the fate of the captives, be it at the level of releasing them, executing them or maintaining their detention,” the statement released Thursday said.

Among the conditions demanded by Islamic Jihad:

-- Release of Lebanese as well as Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails.

-- Israeli withdrawal from its so-called security zone in southern Lebanon.

-- The reconstruction of Beirut and southern Lebanon, which the group said “have been devastated by the American-Israeli plot.”

The release earlier this year of the remaining French hostages in Lebanon proved conclusively that the hostages were under the direct control of Iran or its agents, since the release followed a substantial loan repayment by Paris to Tehran.

Diplomats have speculated that the end of the war may, paradoxically, harden Hezbollah’s negotiating stand because of the likelihood that future aid from Iran will be curtailed.

Hopes Raised in Britain

Last week, hopes were raised for British hostages after an Iranian envoy held talks in London with the Archbishop of Canterbury, Robert A. K. Runcie, about the fate of Runcie’s missing envoy, Terry Waite.

Iranian press accounts have asserted that Waite’s release may be affected by how Britain behaves toward the Iranians when it assumes the presidency of the U.N. Security Council next month.

An anonymous caller in Beirut told a news agency Wednesday that Waite’s release was imminent, but there was no way to authenticate the call or assess the content of the message.

The photo released Thursday showed a bearded and apparently haggard Anderson. The chief Middle East correspondent of the Associated Press, he was kidnaped in Beirut 3 1/2 years ago and has been held longer than any other Western hostage.