WIESBADEN, West Germany -- Freed hostage David Jacobsen was reunited with his family Tuesday for the first time since he was kidnapped 17 months ago in Lebanon, and the Anglican Church envoy who helped engineer his release said two more Americans might be freed soon.
Anglican Church mediator Terry Waite told a news conference that Terry Anderson and Thomas Sutherland, being held in Lebanon by the pro-Iranian Islamic Jihad organization, could be the next hostages released.
Jacobsen tearfully embraced his children on a balcony adorned with fluttering American flags at the U.S. Air Force Regional Medical Center in Wiesbaden.
'I waited a long time for this day. I want to thank God,' the bearded Jacobsen said in a quavering voice as loudspeakers blared a poignant song of hope composed by his sons. He was released Sunday by his Shiite Moslem captors in Beirut and flown to West Germany on Monday.
Sometimes smiling, often in tears, the 55-year-old Jacobsen told reporters gathered below of his fellow hostages still captive in Lebanon.
'I hope to God those guys will be here very soon, standing on this spot,' he said. 'By God, I'll be down there standing with you and loving it.'
Waite said he is unsure of his plans to win freedom for the other hostages. There are at least five other American hostages being held in Lebanon and a number of captives from other nations.
'My plans at the moment are not absolutely certain. I might know the answer to that in the next 24 hours. At the moment it is very sensitive.'
Waite, who also played a role in the release of the Rev. Lawrence Jenco last July, said he expected 'a number of contacts' in the next 24 hours.
Asked which hostages might be freed next as a result of these contacts, he said, 'The two people specifically -- Terry Anderson and Thomas Sutherland.'
When asked about U.S. diplomat William Buckley -- who kidnappers claim they killed -- Waite said, I don't have proof positive, of course, but I must say on what evidence I have that he is dead.'
Jacobsen, clad in a corduroy sport jacket, open-collar shirt and gray trousers, was surrounded by his family behind the line of flapping American flags on the hospital balcony.
His daughter, Diane, with her husband, Dwight Duggan, and sons Eric and Paul, with their wives, Catherine and Lori, arrived Tuesday morning and were escorted to the hospital reunion by Waite.
Eric triumphantly pulled off the bracelet he wore during his father's 17 months in captivity and tossed it down to the reporters. It was inscribed with his father's name and the date of his kidnapping: May 28, 1985.
The loudspeakers blared, 'Never let go. Hold onto a single prayer. God only knows. Innocent men despair' -- the words of the song 'When the Word Comes,' written by Eric and Paul during their father's ordeal.
Jacobsen, who worked as administrator of the American University hospital in Beirut before his kidnapping, mused about the playoff defeat of his favorite baseball club, the California Angels, and in a moment of exuberence proclaimed himself a future candidate for Congress.
'I've been considering running for Congress, but my timing is bad,' Jacobsen announced. 'I can't do it this year, but I am going to do it.'
Jacobsen, who has refused to discuss details of his captivity, said fellow hostages Anderson and Sutherland were well when he last saw them.
Anderson, 38, Associated Press Middle East correspondent, was abducted March 16, 1985, by three gunmen. Sutherland, 54, disappeared June 29, 1985, in Beirut.
Other Americans still missing in Beirut are Jacobsen's friend, Joseph Cicippio, 56, Edward Austin Tracy, 55, and Frank Reed, 53.
Before the emotional balcony scene, the Jacobsen family held a private reunion inside the hospital and feasted on a steak and lobster dinner with cake baked by an Air Force wife.
Jacobsen was expected to return with his children to Huntington Beach, Calif., when the hospital completes a series of medical and psychological tests. Doctors say he appears to be in surprisingly good shape.
There was speculation Tuesday about whether the United States approached Iran for help in getting the hostages released.
Iran's official news agency said Tehran recently jailed former U.S. Security Adviser Robert McFarlane and four other Americans for five days after their illegal arrival on a diplomatic mission. The Iranian report followed a Lebanese magazine story that said the United States would end an embargo and deliver parts for U.S.-built military planes and other weapons to Iran after McFarlane visited Tehran in a possible deal for the hostages.
The White House had no comment on the Iranian report. McFarlane was unavailable for comment.
Improvement of relations with Tehran has been a demand of Islamic kidnappers holding the American and French hostages. The United States broke off relations with Iran after the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and 66 hostages were seized seven years ago Tuesday.
