Zohbi Withdraws from Mediations with Kidnappers of Pilgrims

Syrian al-Ahrar party secretary general Ibrahim al-Zohbi announced that his mediation with the abductors of the 11 Lebanese pilgrims in Aleppo has ended.

“I ended my meditation for several reasons, mostly because the Lebanese government is dealing in an unprofessional manner with the incident,” according to a statement issued by his press office.

He said that the Lebanese state failed to determine a stance towards his mediation and didn’t contact him.

The statement noted that the statements of Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah affected the release of the 11 men and the efforts exerted by former Prime Minister Saad Hariri to set them free.

During a speech on Friday, Nasrallah thanked President Michel Suleiman, Speaker Nabih Berri, Prime Minister Najib Miqati and Hariri for their efforts.

He also thanked Syrian President Bashar Assad for securing the return of the women and elderly who were with the 11 pilgrims.

Al-Zohbi described his mediation as humanitarian, noting that the media rumors forced him to end his efforts.

The secretary general told LBC TV station that the latest developments and the interference of a senior Arab figure in the case and the negotiations between the Lebanese authorities with Turkey transferred the incident from a humanitarian case to a political one.

Al-Zohbi stressed that the pilgrims are in “good health,” and the delay in releasing an audio record for them is the result of the political rhetoric.

The pilgrims, who were snatched in the northern Syrian province of Aleppo last week, were reported as having arrived in Turkey on Friday.

However, conflicting reports emerged about the whereabouts of the abducted men as they were expected to arrive in Lebanon on Friday but an unclear problem occurred and halted their release.

The kidnappers of the pilgrims also are still unknown as the Syrian opposition and the regime exchanged the blame.