Miqati and Berri to Turkish FM: No Effort will be Spared for Release of Pilots
Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Miqati condemned on Friday the kidnapping of a Turkish pilot and copilot in Beirut, saying Lebanese authorities were exerting all efforts to find the abductors.
"We expressed our condemnation of the kidnapping, we are in the process of making every effort to determine the identities of the kidnappers," Miqati told Agence France Presse.
"We are doing everything possible to secure the release" of the pilots, he said.
His remarks to AFP came after the Turkish foreign ministry's official Twitter account said Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu had called Speaker Nabih Berri and Miqati.
"Expressing grief on the incident, Miqati and Berri said no effort will be spared for the release of the Turkish pilots," the account said.
Meanwhile, caretaker premier Tammam Salam discussed the abduction with Charbel.
"We have condemned the kidnapping of the Lebanese pilgrims in Syria and we have asked for exerting efforts to release them in cooperation with Turkish authorities,” Salam said.
He added: “But we cannot overlook today's incident that harms Lebanon's image and prestige and threatens the country's visitors.”
Salam stressed that authorities should follow-up on this case and deal “seriously and strictly with it.”
"We urge political parties to support these effort and use their connections and mediation to release the kidnapped.”
The Turkish nationals were kidnapped around 3:00 am Friday by armed men who ambushed their van as they were traveling from Beirut's airport to a hotel in Ain Mreisseh.
Source: Agence France Presse, Naharnet
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