Captors of Lebanese are making impossible demands, Ibrahim

Lebanon’s General Security chief Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim said in Qatar where he arrived with a ministerial delegation led by Prime Minister Tammam Salam that Qatar is playing the role of mediator, but the captors of the security personnel are making impossible demands, Al Jadeed TV reported on Sunday

Ibrahim revealed that the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria ( ISIS) and the al Qaeda linked Nusra Front have different conditions for releasing the kidnapped Army troops and Policemen.

“The demands of the abductors are being announced from outside the Qalamoun region and they vary between ISIS and Nusra”, Ibrahim said and added that
“separate negotiations are taking place with each faction.”

Salam traveled to Qatar on Sunday at the head of a delegation to deal with the abduction of the soldiers and policemen from the northeastern border town of Arsal in August, National News Agency reported.

Salam is scheduled to meet with Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani and his counterpart Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser al-Khalifa al-Thani, while Ibrahim will hold talks with a Qatari official who is directly overseeing the case of the kidnapped security personnel according to Voice of Lebanon radio (93.3).

Salam is being accompanied on his trip by Labor Minister Sejaan Qazzi, Transportation and Public Works Minister Ghazi Zoaiter, Culture Minister Rony Araiji and Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq in addition to Ibrahim.

Salam had previously visited Saudi Arabia and Kuwait in order to address the issue of the abducted soldiers and policemen, Kuwaiti daily al-Seyassah reported on Sunday.

Qatar became heavily involved in the hostage crisis last week when it announced it would be carrying out negotiations between the Lebanese state and the extremist groups who kidnapped dozens of troops and police officers during clashes with the Army in Arsal last month.

During its visit to Lebanon the Qatari delegation met with Nusra Front commanders and prepared a list of their demands in order to submit to the Lebanese government.