Perez de Cuellar, who oversaw the negotiations for the release of Western hostages, said in New York that Anderson was with Syrian officials in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley, and heavy snow has delayed his transfer to Damascus.; "I am sure this is a technical problem. I think mainly due to snow, the usual road they use to go from somewhere in Lebanon to Damascus," Perez de Cuellar said.; "I'm still hopeful it will take place today," he said, referring to Anderson's anticipated arrival in Damascus and his hand-over to U.S. officials.; "He is on his way, and he is being protected by the Syrians, I imagine, because I think he must be in the Bekaa Valley," the secretary-general said.; Earlier today, it was not clear where Anderson was, despite reports from Arab and U.S. officials that he was released and turned over to the Syrians.; Anderson, 44, an Associated Press correspondent, had said in a videotaped statement that he was to be freed. The tape, released very early this morning by his captors, gave no indication when that would happen. It was not known when the videotape was made.; An accompanying five-page Arabic-language statement from the Islamic Jihad group, which has held Anderson for 2,455 days, also announced that he would be set free.; In the initial portion of the tape, Anderson read the Islamic Jihad statement in English, which he said he did not agree with. Among other things, it denounced the group's enemies and accused Israel of blocking the hostage-freeing process.; "This is the statement of my captors," Anderson said after reading the kidnappers' statement. "Mine is only that with my release, and I hope soon the release of the two Germans and all the Lebanese held in Israel, this tactic (hostage-taking) will never be used again.; "The causes of this troubled episode are complex and difficult. It is these causes which must be redressed and eliminated. The holding of innocent people by anyone solves nothing," he added.; Anderson, wearing a dark sweater and white shirt, spoke in a clear voice. He appeared in good physical condition.; At the White House, spokesman Marlin Fitzwater said U.S. officials had no official word that reports of Anderson's release were true.; Anderson is the third American hostage freed in three days.; Eight other Westerners have been freed since August, when the United Nations launched negotiations involving a complex swap of Western hostages, hundreds of Arabs held by Israel, and information about missing Israeli servicemen.; "We are immensely relieved that Terry Anderson's 6 1/2-year nightmare is over," said Louis D. Boccardi, Associated Press president and chief executive officer, following the initial reports of Anderson's release.; "He has paid a terrible price for his commitment to stay with his story. We welcome him back with warmth, affection and the deepest respect for what he has endured," he said.; As chief Middle East correspondent, Anderson headed the Associated Press office Beirut from 1983 until he was kidnapped on March 16, 1985. Staff members uncorked champagne today to toast his freedom.; The Syrians had said earlier that Anderson would be handed over to U.S. Ambassador Christopher Ross at the Foreign Ministry.; Anderson's daughter Sulome, born three months after he was kidnapped, was driven to the U.S. Embassy with her mother Madeleine by American officials. They had flown to Damascus from their home in Cyprus.; Anderson's estranged wife, Mihoko, and their 15-year-old daughter Gabrielle, who live in Tokyo, declined comment.; The hostage saga has been moving toward an end for the United States amid changing political alignments in the Middle East after the Persian Gulf war and the end of the Cold War, moves by Iran to improve ties with Washington and skillful U.N. mediation.; In all, dozens of foreigners have been held hostage by Shiite groups in Lebanon since 1984. Of these, 11 have been reported or confirmed dead in captivity, 38 not including Anderson were released or escaped.; In exchange for the hostage releases, the kidnappers were reported by Iran's Tehran Radio this week to have been promised that they would not be pursued by the United States, Germany or any other country.; The hostage-holders have in the past few years been isolated by the desire of Syria and Iran to improve ties with the West.; Iran, long the chief backer of Lebanese kidnappers, and Syria had pressed amid shifting international alliances for the Western hostages' freedom.; Iranian President Hashemi Rafsanjani is seeking to end Iran's isolation and shed its image as an outlaw state that supports terrorism. The Syrians, once the vanguard of Arab radicalism and a longtime Soviet ally, are realigning with the West after the collapse of communism.; This week's releases follow by days Washington's payment to Iran of $278 million for weaponry impounded during the 1979-80 Tehran hostage crisis. The weapons and other Iranian assets were frozen by the United States in 1979. Tehran has in the past linked hostage releases to the return of those assets.; The U.N. negotiations for the Western hostages are expected to ultimately involve freedom for 300 Arab prisoners held by Israel and its proxy militia in Lebanon. Israel seeks an accounting of four missing servicemen in Lebanon.; On Sunday, Israel released 25 Arab prisoners, bringing to 91 the number set free since August and giving new impetus to hostage releases.; The two Germans still held are Thomas Kemptner and Heinrich Struebig. An Italian, Alberto Molinari, is missing, but reports say he is dead.
United Nations Secretary-General Javier Perez de Cuellar said American hostage Terry Anderson had been freed today by his Shiite Muslim captors and was safely in Syrian hands. Earlier in the day, it was not clear where Anderson was, despite reports from Arab and U.S. officials that he was released and turned over to the Syrians. Heavy snow delayed Anderson's transfer from Beirut to Damascus, which caused the confusion about Anderson's whereabouts. "The causes of this troubled episode are complex and difficult," Anderson said in a statement. "It is these causes which must be redressed and eliminated. The holding of innocent people by anyone solves nothing."