Palestinian Guerrillas Say They Will Release 3 European Hostages

Palestinian radicals led by Abu Nidal, one of the world’s most notorious guerrillas, said Friday that they will free three European hostages in response to an appeal by Libyan leader Moammar Kadafi.

A Palestinian source told Reuters that Frenchwoman Jacqueline Valente, 31, her Belgian boyfriend Fernand Houtekins, 42, and their baby Sony, who was born in captivity, will be released in the next few days.

“I am glad to announce that our group has agreed to respond to the appeal of leader Moammar Kadafi,” said Walid Khaled, spokesman for Abu Nidal’s Revolutionary Council of Fatah, in a statement released in Beirut.

On Wednesday, Kadafi had urged Muslims to adhere to the “noble Islamic values which affirm the honor and humanity of man and the non-taking of innocent hostages.”

The Palestinian statement left unclear the fate of four Belgians, who were kidnaped with Valente and Houtekins in November, 1987, from a yacht in the Mediterranean off the Israeli-occupied Gaza Strip. Earlier, the organization had said it was trying to free all the hostages.

The statement also did not mention another baby reportedly born to Valente and Houtekins a few months ago. Sony was born about two years ago. In December, 1988, the kidnapers freed two other children of Valente who had been seized from the boat.

At the time of the kidnaping, the Palestinian group accused the hostages of being Jews spying for Israel. However, friends said they were Roman Catholics on vacation.

The hostages are believed to be held either in Lebanon or Libya.

The Revolutionary Council of Fatah is thought to be behind a string of attacks against Israelis, Europeans and Persian Gulf Arab states. In one of their most violent attacks, Abu Nidal’s guerrillas killed 16 people at the Rome and Vienna airports in 1985.