Saudi Arabia, Iraq to exchange 23 prisoners

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Iraq have reached an agreement to exchange 23 prisoners, Iraqi government sources said.
The agreement is not part of the prisoners exchange agreement, which is still being studied by the Iraqi Parliament.
The 23 prisoners, who have been identified for the exchange from both sides, are not involved in terrorist crimes, Ghanem Al-Jameli, Iraqi ambassador to Riyadh, said acknowledging the good condition of all Iraqi prisoners currently in custody of the Saudi government.
They are convicted for illegally crossing the borders and drug trafficking, Al-Jameli said.
“There are 120 Iraqi prisoners in Saudi Arabia but none of them is involved in terrorist crimes and they are treated well,” he said.
Five of them are sentenced to death for murder and drug trafficking, said the Iraqi ambassador.
He said that the agreement to exchange the prisoners between the two countries would have taken place earlier but that “Iraqis are busy now with elections.”