Iran and Iraq Ask Red Cross to Speed Prisoner Exchange
Iran and Iraq both appealed Saturday to the Red Cross to speed the exchange of Persian Gulf War prisoners that started Friday after Baghdad suddenly gave in to Tehran’s conditions for peace.
The International Committee of the Red Cross insists on conducting a private interview with every prisoner to check that he wants to return home and says it can only handle 1,000 prisoners a day from each side. The prisoners were captured during the 1980-88 Gulf War.
Iranian officials called on the Red Cross to handle the release of 5,000 Iranians and 8,000 Iraqis each day. Iraq urged it to bring in more staff so it could process more men.
The Red Cross has registered 50,000 Iranian prisoners of war and 20,000 Iraqis but U.N. officials say the actual numbers may be as high as 35,000 and 70,000.
The first Iranians were released Friday and the first Iraqis on Saturday. Iraqi television showed busloads of prisoners greeted with tears and flowers by hundreds of people lining the roadside, mirroring scenes shown on Iranian television Friday.
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