Cabinet 'Won't Carry out Exchange for Captive Soldiers,' to Contact Influential Countries for Help

The government stressed on Thursday that it will not compromise over the safety and lives of the soldiers and policemen held captive by Islamist militants since August.

“The cabinet will not carry out an exchange for the captives and it will contact influential countries to help it resolve the case,” said Information Minister Ramzi Jreij after a government session at the Grand Serail chaired by Premier Tammam Salam.

He revealed that influential countries had been contacted previously in order to ensure the safety of the recent batch of soldiers who were released by the kidnappers.

He did not name the countries to preserve the secrecy of the case.

Further contacts will be carried to release the remaining captives, added Jreij.

The cabinet also tasked a ministerial crisis committee with following up on the case.

The committee is headed by Salam and chaired by Defense Minister Samir Moqbel, Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq, Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil, Finance Minister Ali Hassan Khalil, and Justice Minister Ashraf Rifi.

Jreij highlighted the need for the cabinet to maintain a united stance over the case of the captives, while urging the media to keep this issue away from speculation, sensationalist reporting, and political exploitation.

He was tasked with taking the necessary measures against all violators.

The soldiers and members of the Internal Security Forces were taken captive by the militants who last month entered the northeastern border town of Arsal and engaged in bloody gunbattles with the military before pulling back to Syrian territories.

The fighters released several hostages in different stages but the Islamic State group beheaded one soldier, who was buried on Wednesday amid widespread anger.

The jihadists have called on the Lebanese government to release Islamist inmates from the country's largest prison in Roumieh in exchange for the captive security personnel.

The March 8 alliance's representatives in the cabinet have totally rejected such a measure while the March 14 camp's ministers have called for the speedy trial of the Islamists.

Only a few of the estimated 90 Islamists have been tried. Most of them were arrested over their involvement in bloody clashes with the Lebanese army at the northern refugee camp of Nahr al-Bared in 2007.

Kataeb Minister Sejaan Azzi told several local dailies published on Thursday that it was the duty of the political parties represented in the cabinet to back Prime Minister Tammam Salam in his decision to reject the prisoner swap.

“Certain parties should not claim that there are two different policies inside the cabinet on the negotiations aimed at releasing the captives,” he said.

G.K./M.T.

Y.R.