Report: Turkey Refuses Mediation in Case of Captive Soldiers
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has informed the Lebanese government that Ankara is not willing to act as a mediator in the case of the soldiers and policemen who were kidnapped by jihadists last month, As Safir daily reported on Friday.
Turkish officials have also informed the Lebanese authorities that their rejection to mediate stems from the “sensitivity” of the case, Lebanese ministerial sources said.
Qatar promised Prime Minister Tammam Salam earlier this month to help resolve the hostage crisis. But As Safir said that the head of the Qatari intelligence has so far failed to give the green light to Doha's envoy to travel to Beirut.
The al-Qaida-linked al-Nusra Front and the Islamic State group kidnapped the soldiers and police when they overran the northeastern border town of Arsal in August.
They executed three of them and vowed to kill more hostages if the Lebanese authorities did not meet their demands.
Al-Akhbar newspaper quoted an al-Nusra Front leader as saying that the group has not yet decided to execute them.
But stated: “Their state has killed them.”
He promised to end the negotiations on the release of the captives after the military carried out large-scale raids in Arsal on Thursday, arresting dozens of suspected terrorists.
The Lebanese army foiled at dawn Friday a new attempt by jihadists to infiltrate Arsal from the town's outskirts, the state-run National News Agency reported.
The failure to release the captives has stirred widespread anger among the Lebanese, and mainly the relatives of the hostages who have blocked major roads and promised to up their protests pending the release of their loved ones.
The demands of the jihadists have been unclear. But media reports have said that the release of Roumieh prison Islamists is among their conditions.
Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq denied in remarks to As Safir that the members of a committee tasked with resolving the case have discussed the exchange of prisoners.
His statement came after he was criticized for claiming on Wednesday that the government was not opposed to the swap.
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