Barak flies to Washington as hijacking ends

The Israeli prime minister's aircraft turned round and was heading back to London after the hijacking ended. Barak will fly on to Wasington from London.

Ehud Barak's office in Jerusalem confirmed that the prime minister would visit Washington as originally planned now that the hijacking of the Tupolev Tu-154 was over. Barak received the news just as his plane was about to land in Israel. He had earlier called off his trip to the United States after the Russian airliner with about 60 people on board was diverted to Israel.

Barak is to hold talks with U.S. President Bill Clinton on the unrest in the Middle East. He had been on his way to the U.S. when he decided to return to Israel because of the hijacking.

The hijacking ended peacefully at an airfield in southern Israel on Sunday when the Chechen hijacker gave himself up and all passengers were released unharmed after a 12-hour ordeal.

The Russian airliner had been flying from the Dagestan capital of Makhachkala to Moscow late Saturday when it was hijacked and the air pirate ordered the pilot to fly to Israel.

(la/dpa)