OUT OF IRAQ

Just released from one of Iraq's most notorious prisons, two Americans charged with espionage by Iraq angrily defended their innocence upon their arrival in Amman, Jordan, describing their ordeal as "four months for nothing." Though suffering from heart problems, defense contractors David Daliberti and William Barloon told a news conference: "We were treated fairly. We weren't tortured or whipped or beaten." TIME's Larry Barrett reports: "Saddam was gaining nothing by holding onto these men. Moreover, releasing them now is another effort to show that Baghdad is cleaning up its act, which, Saddam hopes, will persuade the U.N. to ease the sanctions." On hearing that the eight-year prison sentences had been commuted, Barloon's wife Linda "was overwhelmed with joy," while Daliberti's father said he'll "be hitting him [Daliberti] over the head with a 2-by-4 [to] make sure he knows the difference between east and west."