SNC Condemns Abduction of Lebanese Pilgrims, Accuses Syrian Regime
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
Syria's main opposition coalition issued on Wednesday a call for the prompt release of the Lebanese pilgrims in Aleppo, accusing the Syrian regime of being involved in the kidnapping.
The Syrian National Council "does not think it is impossible that the regime is involved in this operation," in order to sow "disorder" in neighboring Lebanon, the group said.
But Lebanese women pilgrims who arrived in Beirut early on Wednesday said the kidnappers presented themselves as belonging to the Free Syrian Army. "They terrorized us," said one of them.
The FSA, which wants to overthrow President Bashar Assad's regime, strongly denied abducting the Lebanese pilgrims.
"The FSA is not at all responsible for the operation," Mustafa al-Sheikh, a high-ranking FSA officer, told Agence France Presse by telephone from Istanbul.
"This is an attempt to distort the image of the FSA. The FSA does not believe in this methodology," said Sheikh, the head of the group's military council.
Sheikh said the Syrian regime "treats the FSA as a scapegoat. We condemn this abduction, which does not represent the values of the (Syrian) revolution."
The kidnapping "is no doubt the work of the regime, which wants to sow chaos in the region," Sheikh added.
The abductions of the pilgrims -- news reports put their number at between 11 and 13 -- were feared to further fuel sectarian tensions in Lebanon over the revolt in neighboring Syria.
They were kidnapped as they headed home to Lebanon from a pilgrimage in Iran and the news prompted their families and thousands of supporters to pour out into the streets of Beirut's mainly Shiite southern suburbs to demand their release.
The case has triggered fears of sectarian tensions in Lebanon over the revolt in neighboring Syria.
The news prompted their families and thousands of supporters to pour out into the streets of Beirut's mainly Shiite southern suburbs on Tuesday night to demand their release.
Protesters blocked several roads, including the old airport road, with burning tires and garbage bins.
23 May 2012, 13:28
01
all is possible and plausible. it wouldn t be surprising if the syrian regime did as it wouldn t be surprising if the FSA did to trade prisonners...
those who are sure who did it, i can only salute their certainty and knowledge of the situation and they should be hired by the intelligence services!
23 May 2012, 15:02
01
Given the state of the law in Syria, it will be impossible to know exactly what happened. Is it beyond the pale that Syria would stage the kidnapping in order to inflame Lebanon? No, it is possible. By the mouths of elements of the Assad Regime, they say that information can be manipulated in order to make it say whatever the manipulator wants the information to say. The Assad Regime has accused others of this strategy which means that the Assad Regime, itself, is capable of such things. We know that their dog Aoun is not above photoshopping pictures to make things to appear in the pictures to be facts, when they are fiction.
23 May 2012, 15:02
01
Given the state of the law in Syria, it will be impossible to know exactly what happened. Is it beyond the pale that Syria would stage the kidnapping in order to inflame Lebanon? No, it is possible. By the mouths of elements of the Assad Regime, they say that information can be manipulated in order to make it say whatever the manipulator wants the information to say. The Assad Regime has accused others of this strategy which means that the Assad Regime, itself, is capable of such things. We know that their dog Aoun is not above photoshopping pictures to make things to appear in the pictures to be facts, when they are fiction.
