Relatives of Arsal Captives Urge Qatar's Emir to Mediate
The families of the abducted servicemen on Thursday urged Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani to mediate in the case of their sons, noting that they will suspend their protests in the current period.
“We call on Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad to intervene to end the captivity of the servicemen who were kidnapped 15 months ago,” the relatives said after talks with Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq.
“This case is humanitarian and not of a security or military nature,” they added.
The families revealed that the meeting was also attended by General Security chief Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim.
“We hear the same talk in every meeting. Mashnouq and Ibrahim noted that the negotiations have been finalized and that the Lebanese state is not the party responsible for the complications,” the families said.
They also disclosed that they will suspend their street protests in the current period, hoping the case will be resolved through “contacts with the Qatari side.”
On Friday, the relatives blocked the road near the Interior Ministry and held a sit-in outside Prime Minister Tammam Salam's residence, demanding the resumption of efforts to free their sons which they said have been stalled lately.
“Secrecy in negotiations is the key to success. I can say that the responsibility here does not lie on the Lebanese state but on the kidnappers who have special circumstances and an agenda of their own,” Gen. Ibrahim said on the same day.
“Similar abductions have taken much longer time to be resolved,” he noted.
“The Lebanese state has accepted the principle of exchange and done everything possible to free the servicemen. But the kidnappers are not ready (to free the servicemen),” he said.
He concluded saying: “During out latest visit to Doha, we suggested a number of additional solutions that we hope would push things forward, but we are still waiting answers from al-Nusra Front through the Qatari brothers.”
The servicemen were taken hostage by the al-Qaida-linked al-Nusra Front and the Islamic State in August 2014 when the two extremist groups overran the northeastern border town of Arsal.
A few of them have since been released and four were executed.
Al-Nusra Front has in its captivity 16 soldiers and policemen, while nine remain held by the IS.
Y.R.
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