Audio Recording of Abductees to be Aired Soon, SNC Receives Information Pilgrims Include 'Hizbullah Members'
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
An audio recording for 11 Lebanese Shiite pilgrims abducted in Syria will be released soon, the International Human Rights Organization and a Syrian mediator said, as outgoing Syrian opposition leader Burhan Ghalioun announced receiving information claiming that the abductees might comprise non-civilian individuals.
Rebel Brig. Gen. Hussameddine al-Awwak, who described himself as a mediator, told LBC that the abductees comprise five Hizbullah commanders, including a man called Hussein Hammoud, noting that their bus was intercepted by the kidnappers for making several stops near Free Syrian Army bases and because the passengers had “suspicious surveillance binoculars.”
Meanwhile, Hammoud's brother strongly denied to al-Jadeed television that his brother is a Hizbullah member.
Hizbullah, for its part, later issued a statement denying claims about the presence of Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah's nephew or any of his relatives among the abductees.
Awwak said that he is seeking a happy ending to the six-day ordeal and that the commander of the brigade that abducted the Lebanese has contacted him.
Awwak said the commander has informed Lebanese parties of several demands, stressing that the Free Syrian Army is a “national army that is defending Syria.”
FSA chief Colonel “Riad al-Asaad is not interfering in this issue,” Awwak added, noting that the abductees will be released once the interrogations are complete and stressing that the negotiations are still ongoing.
Earlier on Sunday, Ali Aql Khalil, the ambassador of the International Human Rights Organization, met with the abductees’ families in Beirut’s southern suburbs and announced that “all the abductees are in good health.”
He said he is on contact with Sheikh Ibrahim al-Zohbi, head of the Syrian opposition al-Ahrar Party, who has informed him that an audio recording will be released “within hours.”
Zohbi had been mediating the release of the abductees since Wednesday, but on Saturday announced that he would stop his mediation efforts.
Khalil reassured that Zohbi has resumed his contacts with the abductors, adding that the abductees are in an area on the Turkish-Syrian border.
For his part, Ghalioun noted that the opposition Syrian National Council has no information about the whereabouts of the abductees or the identity of the abductors.
“We have received information claiming that the Lebanese abductees are not civilians but rather military trainers,” Ghalioun told LBC.
He also said that, according to the information received by the SNC, the abductees might comprise Hizbullah members and that they might be under interrogation.
Meanwhile,
Earlier on Sunday, LBC TV’s correspondent in Turkey said a Turkish official informed him that negotiations are underway to release the kidnapped Lebanese but stressed that the pilgrims haven’t crossed the border to Turkey.
However, the families of the victims told LBC that they were informed the abductees were in fact in Turkey although it was not clear yet when they will be released.
The TV station also quoted the families as saying that they would not exercise self-restraint for long if the abducted men don’t return home.
The pilgrims were kidnapped on Tuesday in the northern province of Aleppo as they made their way home from a pilgrimage in Iran.
Some accused the rebel Free Syrian Army of having kidnapped them. But the rebel army denied the claim and said it was making "every effort" to locate and release the pilgrims.
The Syrian foreign ministry spokesman Jihad al-Makdissi condemned on Sunday the kidnapping, saying the authorities would exert every effort to help them return to their families.
Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour canceled on Sunday a trip to Tunis where he was scheduled to participate in an economic forum.
Voice of Lebanon radio (93.3) said Mansour was making his contacts to reveal the controversial statements on the pilgrims. But officials at the ministry refused to give any details before the issue is officially settled.
27 May 2012, 11:34
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They were probably being sent to turkey then killed on the way in one of the border village bombing. Its like a child who breaks a vase and then hides it and pretends it never existed hoping his parents will forget about it. maybe..
27 May 2012, 17:33
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rudy.... you mean like what happened to Joseph Sader and many others like him. If you show concern for one show concern for all. I want those hostage returned to their families, but I also want all other hostages and prisoners of the Syrian regime returned to their families as well. All Lebanese lives are our concern
28 May 2012, 04:57
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There are 1000 Syrian workers who have been kidnapped and missing since 1975 in Lebanon. The lives of 100 Lebanese who are believed to be in Syria are not worth more you bigot!
27 May 2012, 12:37
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The main goal of the geopolitical orchestrated accidents in Lebanon, is to start a sectarian war. There were a few attempts already in the past 3 years. Now, they are even willing to use /sacrifice pilgrims to achieve their goal.
Are all the sectarian divided people who live in Lebanon ready to change there identity to the "Lebanese", to prevent this? I hope. Wake up people and stand for your beautiful country!
27 May 2012, 12:42
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As a European currently in Beirut, can someone please explain to me why nobody knows where these Pilgrims are now? How is it possible that Governments of three countries cannot locate these people and collaborate to return then home? Sorry if this is a naive question.
I can understand why the families are very worried and angry. I do not understand why there is not an immediate explanation and solution.
27 May 2012, 13:21
01
with what is going on in syria it is very hard to tell how many groups have broken off on their own. People are re adapting to the laws of the jungle where each takes his own defence into his own hands. In short, they might have been kidnapped by some random group and everything we are seeing about contacts and release and negotiations is a big charade to control the situation on the streets
27 May 2012, 20:53
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dakheelak ana and what can hizbustan do to the 20 million Syrians?? You FPM are so brainwashed with the size of hizbustan that is demographicaly small in the greater region. I think that there will be a prisoner swap at the end of the day between the regime and the rebels.
27 May 2012, 12:43
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Sad that people still are toys in politicians hands the year 2012.
This could be the same as 200-300 years ago for example under ahmed el jazzar, nothing has changed.
27 May 2012, 14:56
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Lebanon is more than ever a sectarian divided country. Any sparkle could ignite the emotionally loaded streets. This is what the Syrian regime has always counted on and seems to attempt to exploit today.
27 May 2012, 21:37
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Not just the Syrian regime, but other foreign powers as well. I really don't trust any foreign regime, whether it be Syria or Saudi or Israel. Unfortunately, ALL of our politicians continue to identify themselves as whose country they serve, be it Saudi Arabia, Iran, Syria, the West, and so on. We as a Lebanese have a duty to hold them accountable for this, but unfortunately we have been incapable of doing so.
27 May 2012, 15:43
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The problem is that among those taken is a hezbolli who was active in assisting the Assad regime in killing Syrian Nationals. They want to keep the Hezbolli and release the others, but the others will not leave unless all, including the Hezbolli is released too. So, in a sense, they are still being held as hostages by the hand of Hezbollah.
27 May 2012, 16:42
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beiruti is right , there is 5 hizballah commanders among the "pilgrims"..among them two important ones:abbas shouaib and hussein hammoud
27 May 2012, 15:53
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Lebanon is what you say it is, and actit is. Each one is playing their role.
Ian making sure to party, live & love life, hope the best for the Lebanese worldwide, hope the safe return of the pilgrims, stay the f out of Syria (as their are doing their part ingoingto hell) BUTwe Lebanese are different, a separate and independent, sovereign nation who work, say and listen to news that are the best of Lebanon.
You commentators have improved from the last few years, there is less cursing, and least you read half of the others comments, still need to feel you have to answer each other, but please do the nation some good, and get out of the way of those helping and improving the livelihood and image of Lebanon.
We have become immune to propaganda.
27 May 2012, 17:45
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It is simple.. there was light at the end of the tunnel between sunna and shia.. Saad's move was grand and of a high calibor as always by the sunna... but The israelis don't want to see any type of common ground during these times. And the turks work for them.. Those 11 pilgrims are GONE.. sorry but true
27 May 2012, 19:20
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It seems that the arrested chiites are as pilgrims as the two Hezb members who died in Antelias with a grenade in their hand recently...Maybe they should ask Charbel about his opinion on this pilgrimage...!
27 May 2012, 20:50
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or perhaps the 'pilgrims' are not that innocent after all. What the hell are they doing in Syria in such circumstances? HIzbustan is clearly helping the syrian regime in the butchering campaign. My guess is that the massacre of 7oula and the arrogant comments made by nasralah screwed the whole deal. The rebels probably want to trade them for their own prisoners and given the fact that hizbustan is in defacto war state with the syrians rebels that is not an unfair deal.
28 May 2012, 01:50
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Your statement would have been more credible if you included Syria and Iran, but as it stands now it is just a typical M8 position. Once you include Iran and Syria then I am with you.
28 May 2012, 10:10
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Saudi Arabia's hand is nowhere to be seen in political assasinations around the world, from Argentina, to Uzbekistan, to Egypt, to Thailand, everywhere the same terrorist fingerprints are to be found. The pilgrims are the same who were dressed up as women when the STL investigators went to Dahyié, the same who dressed up in black shirts on the eve oh the Hariri government downfall, the same who stoned the UNIFIL when suspicious arms caches bleu up in the south: one hand, many faces.....
28 May 2012, 10:51
01
Dont you people find it weird Hezbollah commanders be caught that easily? my guess is that Bachar sold them out to the free syrian army by giving them their locations via someone that still works for Bachar inside the FSA. This is clearly an attempt by the syrian regime to ignite strife in Lebanon and as well as get Hezbollah to enter directly the conflict, like that Hezbollah will maybe have a reason to go up north and erase the syrian opposition friends ( salafis or pro FSA sunnis). The mistake of the FSA is to have fallen in this trap and having kidnapped them anyways knowing the outcome might be terrible for Lebanon. Nobody cares about our country and if we dont realise that we have arrived to a dangerous stage, we will live bad moments again. And by the way, to all that think a war is coming, my guess is that there will be problems, but not a real war.
28 May 2012, 10:55
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My guess is that there will be at most , fights in some regions of Lebanon. But no more than that. Sadly of course there will be lots of casualties. But i dont think we will witness a return of tanks , mortars, rockets etc... It will be a muscle flexing dominion of some regions and thats it. I hope the army cleans up extremists in the north, and deploys on the border to halt intruders into lebanese soil AND stop the syrian army's cowardly shots at our civilians. This is the best solution to avert civil strife.
28 May 2012, 11:52
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I agree Skyfall that the syrian regime is a master of manipulation, and lies. But this doesn't mean their plans work perfectly, they're in control of everything, otherwise what is happening in Syria wouldn't have happened. That Hezbollah is helping syria is only in it's own interest, and a phone call away from Tehran orders. Who uncovered them is irrelevant. They were there. And not praying.Probalby preying, on syrians. The Hizb has taken the country hostage to its own agenda: my ends under the threat of arms.Anything else is called strife. Those 5 operatives, are no more important than Hariri, and all the other assassinated political figures.Let them go to hell if they were indeed caught red-handed!
28 May 2012, 14:08
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What's interesting about all this, is that, number one, most politicians have fallen into the trap, and the Hizb manipulation, since, even Saad Hariri was reported to have sent his plane to repatriate the socalled pilgrims before reports saying that they may not be as holy as one would have thought! Number two, it's interesting how the Hizb has been using the sanctity of religion , and culture practises to cover up for their filthy unspeakable acts: Operatives dressed up as women, putting their ' honor ' across, to bar access to information by the STL investigators in Dayie , and now, under the cover of holy practices, commanders from Hizbollah siding up with the renegade baath regime and taking part in the repression! Masters of deception and creativity !
