Salam Supports Negotiations to Resolve Case of Abducted Soldiers
Prime Minister Tammam Salam hoped that the case of the soldiers and policemen abducted by Islamists from Syria will be kept away from political extortion, reported the pan-Arab daily al-Hayat on Sunday.
He told the daily that he supports holding negotiations with the captors in order to release the hostages, who were abducted in August.
Moreover, he revealed that he had requested from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to exert efforts to free the captives.
Erdogan pledged that Turkey will seek to help Lebanon, he added, while refusing to go into details of his talks with the Turkish leader.
Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi is also being included in the mediation efforts, said Salam.
Sources told the daily An Nahar Sunday that Salam is expected to call cabinet to convene next week in order to address the discussions he held in New York on the sidelines of his participation at the United Nations General Assembly.
The cabinet will also tackle the International Support Group meeting aimed at backing Lebanon in harboring Syrian refugees.
The International Support Group for Lebanon condemned on Friday the hostage taking of Lebanese troops and policemen and reiterated a pledge to strengthen the Lebanese army to confront terrorists.
The soldiers and policemen were abducted in the wake of clashes between the army and Islamists in the northeastern town of Arsal in August.
A number of them have since been released, three were executed, while the rest remain in captivity.
In addition, Salam told al-Hayat that he had requested from the leaders of France, Iran, and the Vatican to help Lebanon stage the presidential elections.
He informed Iranian President Hassan Rouhani that the ongoing presidential vacuum harms Lebanon.
He did not however request that Rouhani pressure Hizbullah and Speaker Nabih Berri to hold the polls, explaining: “I did not go into details, but focused on the need for Iran to maintain its positive support for Lebanon.”
“This support should be aimed at all the Lebanese people, not just a segment of them,” added the premier.
For his part, Rouhani voiced his keenness on Lebanon's national unity in confronting current dangers, revealed Salam.
Asked about his position on Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil meeting with his Syrian counterpart Walid al-Muallem on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly, Salam replied: “Bassil has his own political interests as he is part of a certain political camp.”
“He met Muallem without any official cover,” he said.
On the international coalition against the Islamic State group jihadists and U.S.-led strikes against it, Salam commented: “Lebanon does not have the capabilities that allow it to play an offensive role in the alliance.”
The United States led earlier this week air strikes against IS positions in Iraq and Syria as part of an international coalition aimed at combating the spread of the extremist group.
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