Jumblat: Failure to Release Aazaz Pilgrims Shows Some Regional Powers' Disregard for Their Allies

Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat condemned on Monday the abduction of two Turkish pilots in Lebanon on Friday, contrasting the successful release of Iranians held in Syria in the past to the current deadlock over the release of the abducted Lebanese pilgrims.

He said in his weekly editorial in the PSP-affiliated al-Anbaa magazine: “The failure to release the Lebanese captives demonstrates some regional countries' lack of interest in their allies in favor for their own.”

He gave the example of the abduction of some 40 Iranian officers in Syria and eventual safe return to their homeland thanks to successful negotiations.

“The twisted approach to the Aazaz case has yielded twisted results,” said the MP.

This has included counter-kidnappings, foreign meddling, bribes, and outrageous media interviews with the pilgrims, Jumblat stated.

“The approach of kidnappings and counter-kidnappings is unjustified and unacceptable because it will lead to chaos,” he declared.

The recent developments in the Aazaz case has brought to the spotlight the security along the airport roads in light of threats of the relatives of the pilgrims to block it in protest against the failure to release their loved ones, he noted.

Blocking the airport road “is unacceptable because it jeopardizes Lebanon's stability and security and greatly tarnishes Lebanon's image,” he stressed.

“We thank all authorities who had in the past and recently intervened in order to thwart any attempts to block the road,” he said.

Two Turkish pilots were kidnapped in Beirut on Friday.

The families of the Lebanese pilgrims held in Syria's Aazaz were quick to deny any links to the incident.

The relatives had repeatedly however vowed to target Turkish interests in Lebanon in an attempt to pressure Anakara to release the pilgrims.

They have held Turkey responsible for the ongoing abduction of its loved ones.

Mohammed Saleh, a relative of the pilgrims, was arrested on Sunday over alleged links to the pilots' kidnapping.

The families of the pilgrims condemned the arrest, threatening to block the airport road in protest.

Addressing the recent unrest in the Bekaa town of Arsal, Jumblat condemned the “mafia approach” in this issue, saying that they are the result of the failure to properly resolve past unrest in the area.

“The attack against the army and death of two officers in February has contributed to the negative atmosphere in the region and has led in one way or another to the current tensions and series of kidnappings,” he remarked.

“The repercussions of the past incident led to the attack against Arsal municipal chief Ali al-Hujairi,” he noted.

“The situation would not have gotten so out of hand had the concerned authorities completed the investigation in the February assault,” lamented Jumblat.

Captain Pierre Bashaalani and Sergeant Ibrahim Zahraman were killed and several military personnel wounded in clashes in the region of Arsal in February as the army sought to capture a fugitive.

On Sunday, al-Hujairi was wounded and his companion Mohammed Hasan al-Hujairi was killed when their convoy came under fire in al-Labweh, shortly after a hostage swap that took place in Ras Baalbek in the Bekaa.