Salam Gripped by Fear over Deteriorating Situation

Prime Minister Tammam Salam voiced concern on Sunday over the crises gripping the country, considering that Lebanon is facing the unknown.

“Most of the current issues reached a standstill,” Salam's visitors quoted him as saying in comments published in An Nahar newspaper.

Lebanon plunged into a presidential vacuum due to the failure of the rival March 8 and 14 camps to agree on a compromise candidate, which is impacting the political process as lawmakers are set to renew the term of the parliament to avert further deterioration in state institutions.

Officials are also citing security fears after jihadists from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and al-Nusra Front overran the northeastern border town of Arsal in August and engaged in bloody clashes with the army.

Concerning the case of the abducted policemen and soldiers, Salam said that despite the exerted efforts to resolve the matter no positive results are looming in the horizon.

The premier's visitors were skeptic on the mediation carried out by Qatar and Turkey to safely release the kidnapped servicemen.

The troops and police were kidnapped by the Islamic militants as they were withdrawing from Arsal.

Their capture and the failure of the Lebanese authorities to secure their release sparked protests across Lebanon. The families are fearing that the extremists would kill their loved ones after they executed three of the hostages in August and September.

The kidnappers have several demands to release the captives. One of them is the freedom of Islamist inmates in Roumieh prison.