By Libya Herald staff.
Tripoli, 9 May 2014:
The government has signed a memorandum of understanding with Jordan which is seen as a . . .[restrict]prelude to the exchange of a Libyan convicted of terrorism in Amman for the kidnapped Jordanian Ambassador to Libya.
The government said in a statement following Thursday’s cabinet meeting that it had ratified an agreement between the Jordanian and Libyan ministries of justice for the transfer home of nationals jailed in each other’s country.
The Jordanian Ambassador to Libya, Fawwaz Al-Eitan, was kidnapped and his driver wounded in Tripoli three weeks ago. Shortly afterwards an official investigating the abduction said the kidnappers had demanded that Libyan Mohamed Dersi, who was given a life sentence in 2007 for planning to bomb a Jordanian airport for Eitan, be sent back to Libya.
It was reported that initial negotiations to secure Eitan’s release were stopped when the Jordanian authorities decided that freeing Dersi would mean more kidnappings.
Usually such transfer agreements mean that prisoners sentenced in foreign courts serve their sentence in a prison at home. The cabinet statement did not mention this, however.
There are also currently two members of the Tunisian diplomatic staff who are being held by abductors. [/restrict]
