Nusra Says Negotiations in Phase of 'Devising Serious Mechanism' amid Reports of Progress

Al-Nusra Front announced Monday afternoon that negotiations with Lebanon over a prisoner swap deal were still in the phase of “devising a serious mechanism,” as several media reports said the talks were making progress again after Sunday's setback.

“Negotiations over the captive servicemen who are in our custody are still in the phase of devising a serious mechanism for implementing what has been agreed on,” al-Nusra announced via Twitter.

“Anything else will be considered a maneuver,” it warned.

Meanwhile, several TV networks said the negotiations were advancing again amid practical steps on the ground.

General Security chief “Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim returned from the outskirts of the Lebanese-Syrian border after inspecting the point where the swap will happen and other logistical details,” al-Jadeed television reported.

OTV also said that the negotiations had “entered the eleventh hour under the supervision of Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim.”

The “implementation phase” of the proposed swap deal has started, it said.

“Aid trucks were seen on Baalbek's road,” the TV network reported.

Al-Jazeera television for its part said “a convoy containing more than 20 General Security vehicles has arrived in the town of al-Labweh near Arsal.”

Negotiations had suffered a setback on Sunday afternoon after al-Nusra made last-minute demands.

Sunday's developments prompted the General Security to ask an aid convoy that had entered the northeastern border town of Arsal as part of the swap deal negotiations to return to Beirut.

A General Security delegation and a Qatari mediator also returned to Beirut after the talks ran into hurdles on Sunday.

"Lebanese officials said they cannot fulfill al-Nusra's demand of sending aid trucks to areas controlled by al-Nusra," MTV said.

"The other condition hindering the swap deal is failure to secure the evacuation of a number of wounded people to Turkey," MTV reported on Sunday.

Al-Nusra sources had told al-Akhbar daily in remarks published Sunday that the swap includes freeing inmates from Lebanese and Syrian prisons, and transporting some wounded people from al-Zabadani in Syria to Beirut's airport and then to Turkey.

The troops were abducted during deadly clashes in August 2014 between the army and militants from al-Nusra and the Islamic State group in and around Arsal.

Nineteen troops were killed in the fighting as 35 soldiers and policemen were taken hostage. Al-Nusra later released seven security personnel who were in its custody.

The two groups later executed four servicemen and were threatening to kill more if Lebanese authorities do not fulfill their demands.

Y.R.