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CAMPBELL BILL TO LEARN
FATE OF ZACHARY BAUMEL

U.S. Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell has introduced legislation
to resolve the fate of Zachery Baumel and his comrades, Israeli
soldiers who were captured by Syrian forces in the 1982 battle of
Sultan Yaqub.

Reports indicate that the three soldiers were captured by Syrian
forces in northern Lebanon and were later paraded through the
streets of Damascus. They have not been seen since. Baumel, an
American citizen and sergeant in the Israeli Defense Forces, was
one of those men. For more than 16 years the Syrian government
and leadership of the PLO have failed to cooperate in the effort
to determine their fate.

"My legislation requires the State Department to raise this issue
with the Syrian government and leaders of the Palestinian
Authority, and to provide Congress with a report on any
information they have uncovered," Campbell said. The bill also
requires that Palestinian and Syrian cooperation in this effort
be a factor in the consideration for future U.S. assistance.

"As Americans know all too well, the bitter legacy of missing
soldiers and POWs can haunt a nation and interfere with efforts
to build better relations between former enemies," Campbell said.
"Clearly, resolving the issue of the MIAs can only strengthen
American efforts to make Middle East peace a reality."

Campbell's legislation is a targeted approach to address the
unique and compelling merits of this case in which an American-
born Israeli soldier and his comrades remain unaccounted for in a
time of war.