Hezbollah, FPM won’t allow Muslim Scholars to mediate Hostages Crisis

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Families of missing soldiers who were kidnapped by Islamic State militants and the Al-Nusra front, sit on the ground street as they hold Arabic banners that read: "you should be ashamed of the blood of the hero martyr Ali Sayid (the beheaded Lebanese soldier)," left, "Hey politicians the blood of our sons is in your hands," center, and "If your children were among those kidnapped ... what would you have done?" right, during a demonstration to demand action to secure the captives' release, in front the Lebanese government building, in downtown Beirut, Lebanon, on Thursday Sept. 4, 2014. Lebanon's government is forming a crisis committee to handle the case of some two dozen members of the security forces held captive by Syrian militants amid escalating criticism over its response to the hostage affair. Militants, including from the Islamic State extremist group, seized around 30 soldiers and policemen after overrunning a Lebanese border town in early August. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
Families of abducted  soldiers  and policemen  during a  sit-in  as they hold Arabic banners that read: “you should be ashamed of the blood of the hero martyr Ali Sayid (the beheaded Lebanese soldier),” left, “Hey politicians the blood of our sons is in your hands,” center, and “If your children were among those kidnapped … what would you have done?” right, during a demonstration to demand action to secure the captives’ release, in front the Lebanese government building, in downtown Beirut, Lebanon (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

Hezbollah and its ally the Free Patriotic Movement  are opposed  to tasking the Muslim Scholars Committee with negotiating the release of Lebanese soldiers and policemen taken hostage by Islamist gunmen, according to a report   by  the London based al-Hayat newspaper .

Sources told the daily  that Hezbollah  will not make public its rejection  to tasking the Muslim Scholars Committee with negotiating the release of Lebanese hostages to avoid a “sectarian tension.”

This development comes after the families of Lebanese soldiers and policemen  captured by the Islamic State jihadist group and the Al Qaeda-linked Al-Nusra Front asked the Muslim Scholars Committee to mediate in  the the talks aimed at securing their relatives’ release.

The National News Agency (NNA) reported last  Monday that the request was made following a Qatari Foreign Ministry statement of the previous day saying that its own mediation efforts had failed and was at an end.

The Qataris withdrew after abducted Lebanese policeman Ali Bazal was murdered by the Al Nusra Front.

However, the  Muslim scholars called on the state to officially task them in order to follow up the case.

The abductors  are holding 25 soldiers and policemen taken captive in August during clashes with the Lebanese army in the country’s northeastern Arsal area.

The Families of the hostages met Saturday with  Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblatt, who has repeatedly called on the government to accept a swap deal to free the servicemen.

The families tasked Jumblatt with the negotiations, calling on Prime Minister Tammam Salam to swiftly resolve the case.

The Muslim Scholars Committee, a gathering of Salafist Sheikhs, brokered a cease-fire that ended five days of clashes between the Army and militants from ISIS and the Nusra Front who overran Arsal in August.

Rally outside the Grand Serail

A rally was held outside the Grand Serail palace ( the government headquarters)   in downtown Beirut in solidarity with the families of the captive servicemen after the news  circulated that  al-Qaida-affiliate al-Nusra Front  appointed Shiekh Wissam al-Masri  as the new negotiator.

The families   expressed hope that  Health Minister Wael Abu Faour  will be able to end the abduction ordeal.

“We are hopeful that you could end the case and heal our wounds,” the families said in a statement.

Sheikh Abbas Zogheib , a Shiite cleric called on the cabinet to assume its responsibilities immediately.

“If this government is incapable of assuming its responsibilities then it should resign ,” he told gatherers.

A squabble occurred during the rally  when Free Patriotic Movement MP Naji Gharios tried  to make his speech.

Several people demanded him to step down from the podium.

However, the fuss ended swiftly.

“The government is responsible for the case of the kidnapped soldiers, which shouldn’t be  discussed publicly,” Gharious stressed, even though  FPM reportedly  has been rejecting  the state’s involvement in a prisoners swap with al-Nusra Front and the Islamic State group.

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4 responses to “Hezbollah, FPM won’t allow Muslim Scholars to mediate Hostages Crisis”

  1. 5thDrawer Avatar

    Might be some serious concerns, of course …. something about ‘scholarly endeavours’.

    The Lebanese Army detained Sunday four Syrians and a Lebanese Muslim Scholars Committee member in the northeastern town of Arsal, confiscating an explosive belt and weapons packed in their car.
    http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Lebanon-News/2014/Dec-14/281003-army-detains-muslim-scholars-member-in-arsal.ashx

  2. When dealing with hostages and human lives ,the most important is to save their lives!!The only thing that should not be allowed is the use of politics !!!!

  3. 5thDrawer Avatar

    Speaking of ‘Scholars’ ….. who can’t even get electricity to work ….. or even fix the plumbing …

    “55,000 engineers were spread between Beirut and north Lebanon.
    “This means that there’s one engineer for every 100 citizens.”- See more at:
    http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Lebanon-News/2014/Nov-01/276140-too-many-engineers-in-lebanon-order-says.ashx?utm_source=Magnet&utm_medium=Recommended%20Articles%20widget&utm_campaign=Magnet%20tools#sthash.GiQTVSmA.dpuf

  4. We shouldn t play politics in their lives and parents should know who is against and who is going to be responsible for their death

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