Hermel-Arsal Negotiations to Release Tit-for-Tat Abductees at Standstil
Negotiations to free Hussein Jaafar, who was kidnapped over the weekend, stumbled after media reports said that a hostage swap took place between the Jaafar clan and the residents of the eastern Bekaa town of Arsal.
The former mayor of Arsal, Basel al-Hujairi, denied in comments to Voice of Lebanon radio (93.3) on Tuesday that Jaafar was released.
He expressed hope that all the kidnapped people would be released later in the day, pointing out that negotiations stumbled at the last-minute.
Al-Hujairi said that an ambulance driver, kidnapped by al-Jaafar clan, identified as Hassan Ezzedine was the only one released.
Ezzedine was abducted after an ambulance he was driving came under fire overnight Sunday for transporting wounded Free Syrian Army fighters from Arsal to Bayan hospital in Baalbek.
Baalbek Mufti Sheikh Ayman Rifai confirmed that negotiations are ongoing to release the men, also denying the reports.
Several men, who hail from Arsal, were abducted over the weekend in retaliation for the kidnapping of Jaafar, from the town of al-Bustan in Hermel, by unidentified gunmen.
Media reports said that Jaafar was taken to Syria.
The Jaafar clan had urged the security forces to assume their duties in the case and condemned the abduction.
The clan released Malek al-Hujairi late Sunday, who was among five other Arsal residents kidnapped.
The four men are identified as Malek al-Fliti, and Mohammed, Ashraf and Massoud Rayed.
Arsal is a majority Sunni town whose inhabitants generally support the revolt in neighboring Syria, while most of the population of Hermel and Baalbek are Shiites.
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