Word: algerians
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Americans and Iranians can agree on one thing at least: without the skillful performance of Algeria's middlemen, the financial settlement that led to the hostages' release would not have been possible. On his last day in office, President Jimmy Carter conveyed to Algerian President Bendjedid Chadli "the immense debt of gratitude" felt by the U.S. Wrote Carter: "We would certainly not have concluded this accord, if we had not had the assistance of your government." State Department officials spoke admiringly of the "tireless work"-and the "imagination and understanding" displayed throughout the ten weeks of ceaseless negotiations...
...talks moved swiftly on all fronts. At 12:40 a.m. Sunday in Algiers, Christopher went to the Algerian Foreign Ministry to study the Iranian reply to a number of American reassurances concerning the passing of assets from the Algerian escrow account to the Iranians once the hostages were released. It appeared that the gap between the U.S. and Iran was now virtually eliminated, and Christopher phoned Washington. Speaking with lawyerly caution, he told Vice President Walter Mondale: "We do not yet have a final agreement, but we may be very close...
Nearly four hours later, Behzad Nabavi, Iran's chief hostage negotiator, said in Tehran that an agreement had substantially been reached. The Algerians were so certain that the ordeal was near an end that they dispatched a planeload of Algerian journalists to Tehran to cover and film the hostages' release...
...Monday morning in Algiers, there was evidence of further progress. At 7:17, Christopher met with Algerian Foreign Minister Mohamed Seddik Benyahia and signed two declarations that would set up a complex procedure for the return of Iran's frozen assets upon release of the hostages. At the same moment in Tehran, Nabavi was signing his copy of the declarations. "At last I can smile again," beamed Christopher after putting his name on the documents with a felt-tipped pen that he borrowed from Saunders as a sign of appreciation for his work on the accord...
...Tuesday Algerian time, some $7.9 billion in Iranian assets had been placed in an escrow account for the Central Bank of Algeria at the Bank of England. Christopher returned to the embassy, telling reporters as he walked in, "Just say I'm a happy man." Inside the building, embassy staffers were about to uncork 24 bottles of Mumm's Cordon Rouge champagne. -By Edward E Scharff...