Jordan still ready to free Rishawi for pilot

Jordanian Minister of State for Media Affairs Mohammed Al Momani reiterated here on Thursday that Jordan is still ready to release prisoner Sajeda Al Rishawi in return for captive Jordanian pilot Muath Al Kasasbeh.
The Jordanian pilot was captured by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) as his jet crashed over Syria.
Jordanian authorities asked the ISIL to prove that Al-Kasasbeh is still alive ahead of setting Al Rishawi free.
"We requested proof that Kasasbeh is alive but we haven't received such proof, and we insist on this," the minister told Jordan's official news agency (Petra).
"We want to make sure that he is alive in order to complete the pledge we made yesterday, to swap prisoner Sajeda Al Rishawi with the pilot." The ISIL had threatened to kill the Jordanian pilot in a video statement with Japanese hostage Kenji Goto demanding that Jordan release Sajida Al-Rishawi in exchange for Goto or the Jordanian pilot would be shot dead.
The group set the deadline for the proposed prisoner swap at sunset, Mosul time of Iraq Thursday.
The group threatened to kill both Goto and the Jordanian pilot, who is also being held by the group, if Amman fails to meet the deadline.