Jordan still willing to swap Isis prisoner for abducted pilot

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/feb/01/jordan-isis-prisoner-swap-muath-kasaesbeh

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Jordan has said it is still willing to hand over a jailed Iraqi militant to Islamic State (Isis) in a swap deal if its captured pilot is released, even after the Japanese journalist Kenji Goto was apparently beheaded by the militant group.

Jordan’s security and military agencies were making constant checks to see whether the pilot, Muath al-Kasasbeh, was still alive, said government spokesman Mohammad al-Momani on Sunday. “We are still ready to hand over the convict Sajida al-Rishawi in return for the return of our son and our hero,” he told Reuters.

Kasasbeh was captured in December after his F-16 fighter jet crashed in territory controlled by the militants in Syria.

Following the release on Saturday of a video purportedly showing the beheading of Japanese journalist Kenji Goto, the Jordanian’s worried relatives asked their government to be more open about negotiations for his release.

The video released on Saturday made no mention of the pilot, raising fears for his life. “We want the government to tell us the truth,” said Yassin Rawashda, an uncle of Kasasbeh.

He said the family was not demanding a full briefing, but wanted to hear if release efforts were heading “in a positive direction or not”.

The pilot’s father, Safi al-Kasasbeh, said he was worried, but was still putting his faith in the government. “Of course, I’m concerned,” he said. “This is my son. I’m always concerned about him and any development makes me more concerned.”

Jordan is reportedly conducting indirect, behind-the-scenes negotiations through tribal leaders in neighbouring Iraq. Last week, it offered to release Rishawi, an al-Qaida prisoner on death row, in exchange for the pilot, but the militants did not say at the time if they were considering such a deal.

An audio message last week, purportedly from the Isis, only said Kasasbeh would be killed if Rishawi was not delivered to the Turkish border by Thursday. The deadline passed after Jordan said it could not release Rishawi without proof the pilot was alive.

Jordan, a staunch western ally, is part of a US-led military coalition that has carried out air strikes against Isis targets since September.

King Abdullah says the campaign against the extremists is a battle over values but participation in the air strikes is not popular among Jordanians. The hostage crisis has prompted more vocal criticism of Amman’s position.