Charbel Says Government Didn’t Fail in Attempts to Resolve Abduction Cases

Interior Minister Marwan Charbel shrugged off criticism on Friday that the Lebanese government failed in dealing with the cases of the kidnapped Lebanese in Syria.

“It sought to resolve the matter calmly and requested help from everyone to resolve the case,” Charbel told al-Liwaa newspaper.

He said that the government can’t negotiate directly with the abductors of the 11 Lebanese, who were kidnapped in the northern province of Aleppo on May 22, and Hassan Salim al-Meqdad, who was allegedly abducted by the Free Syrian Army earlier this week in Damascus.

Relatives of the 11 pilgrims and their supporters on Wednesday blocked the Beirut airport road with burning tires after conflicting reports emerged on the fate of the men following scores of deaths in a raid on Aazaz in Aleppo.

The latest report said that 4 men were killed while the other 7 are safe and doing fine.

“We exerting efforts mutely, this is why the families (of the kidnapped men) presumed that the government abandoned them while it is still contacting the Turkish and Qatari authorities and all the key players in the region that can offer help,” Charbel pointed out.

He noted that most of the Lebanese officials headed to Turkey asking for mediations with the kidnappers to resolve the case.

“What more can we do? Let them tell us the solution and we will do it,” Charbel told the daily.

The cabinet also delegated two officers to Syria to know the demands of the abductors but “we didn’t reach any result.”

“If the Syrian (regime) was behind the case then we would be accused of being negligent if they weren’t released,” Charbel said.

Asked about al-Meqdad clan’s kidnapping of several Syrians and a Turkish national in tit-for-tat abductions, Charbel condemned the family’s endeavors.

“They embarrassed everyone and showed Lebanon without a government,” he noted

He urged al-Meqdad family to have patience, saying: “We are now embarrassed. We do know with whom we should negotiate.”

Al-Meqdad clan kidnapped on Wednesday over 20 Syrian nationals, who allegedly belong to the FSA, and Turkish citizen Aidan Toufan.

Participants at the national dialogue session, which was held at Beiteddine Palace on Thursday, agreed to form a delegation comprising members of the dialogue committee with the aim of contacting the influential countries in a bid to secure the safe release of the Lebanese abductees in Syria.