Relatives of Abducted Pilgrims Hold Another Protest, Meeting with Mansour Postponed

The families of the nine Lebanese pilgrims kidnapped in Syria since May last year pressed on Tuesday their demands to release the men despite the “lack of progress” in the case.

The relatives held a sit-in near the Turkish cultural center and the Turkish Airlines offices in downtown Beirut. The state-run National News Agency said they were joined by Syrian laborers.

The area has been the scene of almost daily protests by the families of the pilgrims who were abducted by rebels on their way back home from a pilgrimage to Iran on May 22, 2012.

They were taken to the Aleppo town of Aazaz.

The sit-in came after Caretaker Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour told Voice of Lebanon radio (93.3) there was “no tangible progress in the case.”

A meeting that was scheduled to take place between the protesters and Mansour was postponed to Wednesday.

Caretaker Interior Minister Marwan Charbel said Monday he has received the names of 371 Syrian women detainees to be exchanged with the Lebanese pilgrims.

He said General Security chief Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim will start his contacts with the Syrian side over the swap.

LBCI TV broadcast on Sunday a video showing the nine hostages. One of them said their kidnappers demanded the release of female detainees in Syrian prisons.

The same day, the families of the hostages protested outside the Turkish peacekeeping force’s headquarters in southern Lebanon.

The protesters argue that Turkey, which is a staunch supporter of the rebels seeking to topple the Syrian regime, should pressure the kidnappers to release the men.

But the Turkish ambassador, Inan Ozyildiz, said Tuesday after meeting caretaker Premier Najib Miqati that his country's efforts to resolve the case of the abducted pilgrims are ongoing.