Report: Ibrahim in Turkey amid Tough Negotiations with Nusra Front
General Security chief Major General Abbas Ibrahim is seeking to reach a breakthrough with the al-Qaida-affilaite al-Nusra Front over the release of Lebanese servicemen in its captivity.
According to al-Joumhouria newspaper published on Saturday, the indirect negotiations between Ibrahim and al-Nusra Front are at the final stages.
The daily said that the mediator agreed with the group on several details concerning a possible prisoners swap deal, but some obstacles are still awaiting to be resolved.
The newspaper reported that Ibrahim's stay in Ankara is limited to the course of negotiations as sources expressed optimism over the negotiations.
The sources pointed out that the soldiers and policemen taken hostage by al-Nusra could be released soon despite the lingering barriers.
In August, extremists from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and al-Nusra Front overran the northeastern border town of Arsal where they engaged in brief clashes with the army.
They withdrew from Arsal at the end of the fighting, but kidnapped a number of servicemen.
A few were released, four were executed, while the rest remain held.
The ISIL and al-Nusra Front want to exchange the captives with Islamist prisoners in Lebanon and Syria.
On Tuesday, the relative of the hostage men demanded the state to clarify media reports saying that ISIL transferred the soldiers and policemen in its captivity to Syria's Riqqa.
The families called on negotiators who are following up the case to bring them a new video for the servicemen within a week.
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