Irish Lebanon

Brian Keenan, who spent 4 1/2 years as a hostage in Lebanon, Thursday called for negotiations to release others from a captivity he recalled as "a silent, screaming slide into the bowels of ultimate despair." "It's time to talk. It's obviously time to talk. There is a willingness. Why not talk?" Keenan told a news conference. Keenan, a native of Belfast, Northern Ireland, was released by his captors last week and handed over to Irish authorities in Damascus, Syria, on Saturday.

Brian Keenan, who spent 4 1/2 years as a hostage in Lebanon, Thursday called for negotiations to release others from a captivity he recalled as "a silent, screaming slide into the bowels of ultimate despair." "It's time to talk. It's obviously time to talk. There is a willingness. Why not talk?" Keenan told a news conference. Keenan, a native of Belfast, Northern Ireland, was released by his captors last week and handed over to Irish authorities in Damascus, Syria, on Saturday.

Release of a Western hostage, possibly Irishman Brian Keenan, a teacher held captive for four years, was unofficially reported Monday to be in the works in Beirut, but an Irish diplomat said, "We still do not have any concrete information." A report by the British news agency Reuters from the Lebanese capital quoted unidentified pro-Syrian security sources as saying the kidnapers of a European had contacted Syrian army headquarters Monday seeking arrangements for the release of their captive.

Release of a Western hostage, possibly Irishman Brian Keenan, a teacher held captive for four years, was unofficially reported Monday to be in the works in Beirut, but an Irish diplomat said, "We still do not have any concrete information." A report by the British news agency Reuters from the Lebanese capital quoted unidentified pro-Syrian security sources as saying the kidnapers of a European had contacted Syrian army headquarters Monday seeking arrangements for the release of their captive.