Charbel Optimistic more Lebanese to be Released this Week
Interior Minister Marwan Charbel expressed optimism on Monday that the release of one of the 11 Lebanese pilgrims kidnapped in Syria would set the stage for setting free more abductees this week.
In remarks to As Safir daily, he hoped that a new batch of abductees would be released in the coming days.
Charbel also stressed keeping the negotiations away from the media and political bickering to guarantee their success.
Media reports said Jamil Amin Saleh, 63, could be released on Monday.
Saleh, who hails from Bint Jbeil, is among the 11 held hostage by Syrian rebels.
But An Nahar newspaper was not that optimistic, saying the release of Hussein Ali Omar by the Free Syrian Army on Saturday would not set the stage for ending the tragedy of the remaining 10 pilgrims who were seized by the armed rebels in the northern province of Aleppo on May 22 as they were returning from a pilgrimage to Iran.
Omar’s freedom was only a goodwill gesture by the Turkish mediator in an attempt to guarantee the release of two Turkish nationals kidnapped in Lebanon, the daily said.
The first man has been abducted by al-Meqdad clan in retaliation to the kidnapping of a family member, Hassan al-Meqdad, by armed rebels in Damascus.
The fate of the second Turkish citizen remains unknown as no group has claimed responsibility for his abduction.
Free Syrian Army commander Col. Riad Asaad stressed Sunday that the FSA has no information on al-Meqdad.
He suspected that the Syrian regime may have been behind the abduction to tarnish the image of the FSA and create strife in Lebanon “through Hizbullah’s cooperation.”
Asaad also said “the release of the remainder of the pilgrims will not be as easy as some believe because most of them are Hizbullah officials."
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