PLO lays down conditions for freeing Israeli POWs

The Palestinian Liberation Organization presented conditions for releasing eight Israeli soldiers captured in Lebanon last September, an official Palestinian source said.

The source said a special envoy of Austrian Chancellor Bruno Kreisky met Palestinian officials to discuss a proposed exchange of prisoners between Israel and the PLO. The principal condition was that Israel should recognize its PLO captives as prisoners of war and should admit holding 300 Palestinian fighters who were missing during last year's Israeli invasion of Lebanon, the source added.