Mikati: Pilgrims abducted for leverage in Lebanese politics

Prime Minister Najib Mikati said Thursday that the 11 Lebanese being held in Syria were taken hostage in order to be used as bargaining chips in the Lebanese political arena. “We believe that the kidnapped were taken as hostages to be used to serve domestic political goals,” Mikati told the new members of the board of Journalists Union, along with its newly elected President Elias Aoun, who were visiting him at the Grand Serail. “But despite this, we are trying to address the matter appropriately.” The prime minister lamented that the issue of the kidnapped pilgrims was being exploited by some groups to attack the Cabinet. The Lebanese pilgrims, held by Syrian rebels since May 22, have appeared repetitively in news footage in recent days after their captors allowed reporters and relatives to visit them in Izaaz in the northern district of Aleppo. The hostages lashed out strongly at Mikati’s Cabinet, accusing it of neglecting the case and calling on it to resign. Their calls echoed those of the March 14 coalition, which maintains that the Cabinet is responsible for resolving the case of the kidnapped. The prime minister noted that Turkey was doing what it could to secure the release of the hostages. “But we determined that the kidnapped are still inside Syrian territories.” Earlier in the week, relatives of the hostages demonstrated near the Turkish Embassy in Lebanon, demanding that Ankara do more to bring about the release of the hostages. Mikati said the government did not have any direct contact with the kidnappers but that “there were indirect messages” away from media spotlight. “In any case, our first and foremost goal is to secure the safety of the kidnapped and their return to their families,” he added. The Shiite hostages were kidnapped after crossing into Syria from Turkey. They had been on their way back to Lebanon from a pilgrimage to Shiite holy sites in Iran. The captors set the women and elderly men free shortly after abducting them. (daily star)