DAMASCUS, Syria — Rebels freed 48 Iranians on Wednesday in exchange for more than 2,000 prisoners held by Syrian authorities, including women and children, a deal struck after rare negotiations involving regional powers Turkey, Qatar and Iran.
It was the first major prisoner swap since the uprising began against President Bashar Assad nearly 22 months ago.
Iran is one of Assad’s main allies, and the Iranians, who were seized outside Damascus in August, were a major bargaining chip for factions trying to bring down his regime in the civil war that has killed more than 60,000 people.
The exchange also highlighted the plight of tens of thousands of detainees languishing in Syrian prisons, many of whom were picked up at street protests and have not been heard from since.
The group of 48 Iranians arrived Wednesday at the Sheraton hotel in several vans escorted by Syrian security forces. Looking disheveled but healthy, they were greeted by Iran’s ambassador in Damascus, Mohammad Riza Shibani, and several Iranian clerics who distributed a white flower to each of the men, some of whom broke down in tears.
Shibani said their release was a result of elaborate and “tough” negotiations, but did not elaborate. The Syrian government, which rarely gives details on security-related matters, had no official comment and it was not clear what prompted the exchange.
Rebels claimed the captives were linked to Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guard, but Tehran has denied that, saying the men were pilgrims visiting Shiite religious sites in Syria.
But U.S. State Department spokesman Victoria Nuland described most of the Iranians as “members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard,” calling it “just another example of how Iran continues to provide guidance, expertise, personnel, technical capabilities to the Syrian regime.”
The rebels had threatened to kill the captives unless the Assad regime halted military operations against the opposition.
It was not clear what prompted the government to negotiate the exchange, but opposition leaders said the Assad regime felt obligated to please its Iranian backers.
Kamer Kasim, an analyst at the Ankara-based International Strategic Research Organization, linked Assad’s agreement to the swap to Damascus’ desire not to be seen as the intransigent party, after it rejected U.N. envoy Lakhdar Brahimi’s peace deal. He said Iran has long been pressing for the exchange, and Syria was eager to maintain good relations with Tehran.
A spokesman for a Turkish Islamic aid group that helped coordinate the release said the regime had agreed to release2,130 people in exchange for the Iranians.
As of Wednesday evening, it was not clear how many of those had been freed.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan praised the swap, but expressed regret that many remain locked up by the Syrian government.
He said the deal was brokered with the help of a Turkish and a Qatari aid organization, and added that Turkey had been talking with the rebels during the negotiations. Four Turks and “a number of Palestinians” were among the prisoners released by the Syrian government, he said.
Speaking in Istanbul, Umit Sonmez of the Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian Relief, which coordinated the negotiations, said the 48 Iranians were handed over to aid workers soon after the Syrian regime let a group go.
“Turkey and Qatar, who have influence over the rebels, spoke with the rebels. They also spoke with Iran. Iran for its part spoke with Syria.”
Turkey’s state-run agency Anadolu Agency also said a group of people, including women and children, held in the Syrian Interior Ministry building in Damascus had been released and were escorted onto buses. The report could not be confirmed because of government restrictions on journalists in Syria.
Bulent Yildirim, the head of the Turkish aid organization, told Anadolu in Damascus that 1,000 people have been released so far, including 74 women and a number of children between the ages of 13 and 15.
Information for this article was contributed by Ali Akbar Dareini, Matthew Lee, Barbara Surk and Zeina Karam of The Associated Press.
Front Section, Pages 6 on 01/10/2013