Freedom Near for Hostages, Reports Say : Lebanon: A Tehran newspaper says one or two captives could be released within days. A U.N. envoy’s trip to the region lends credence to report.

An Iranian newspaper reported Saturday that one or two Americans could be freed from captivity in Lebanon within days, and a radio station said that all three U.S. hostages may be out within 10 days.

The reports coincided with a new trip to the Middle East by the U.N. secretary general’s envoy to resolve the hostage ordeal.

The Paris-based Radio Monte Carlo reported from Tehran that Americans Joseph J. Cicippio and Alann Steen will be freed “no later than Wednesday.”

The third American hostage, Terry A. Anderson, may be released within 10 days, it said.

Monte Carlo’s correspondent in Tehran, Mohammed Sadik Husseini, said he obtained his information from “reliable sources” in the Iranian capital.

In October, Radio Monte Carlo reported an imminent release of an American hostage, and Jesse Turner was freed a few days later.

The Iranian newspaper, the Tehran Times, has also accurately predicted previous hostage releases.

Tehran Times editors said their correspondent in southern Lebanon reported hectic activity to obtain the freedom of one or two Americans.

“The matter is so complicated and so many channels are involved that the exact date or time cannot be reported, at least at this stage,” the correspondent was quoted as saying.

“However, there is every possibility that one or two American hostages may be released soon . . . maybe in a few days’ time.”

Meanwhile, Western diplomats confirmed that U.N. envoy Giandomenico Picco, on a mission to end the hostage saga by Christmas, was in the area Saturday. But they said his precise movements are a closely guarded secret--as they have been since last summer, when the United Nations began a drive to free all the hostages.

“Picco’s back, and because of that we expect at least one hostage to be released soon,” a diplomat said. “But he has to make the kidnapers move each time. And that is the hard part.”

Since U.N. Secretary General Javier Perez de Cuellar began his efforts in August to win the hostages’ freedom, six have been released.

Of the three Americans, two Germans and one Italian still being held in Lebanon, diplomats said it appears that Cicippio has the best chance of being the seventh to be released.

Cicippio, 61, acting controller at the American University of Beirut, was kidnaped as he walked to work Sept. 12, 1986.