President Michel Sleiman urged Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani to increase his country’s efforts in securing the release of nine Lebanese hostages held by Syrian rebels since last May, according to a statement issued by the presidential palace Wednesday.
Sleiman held talks with Hamad in Qatar before he returned to Lebanon Wednesday, after taking part in the Arab League summit that was held in Doha Tuesday.
The statement said the Qatari emir pledged that he would try his hardest to resolve “this humanitarian issue.”
Relatives of the nine hostages held a sit-in Tuesday in front of the Justice Ministry and urged Sleiman to raise the issue during the Arab League summit. The families threatened to take escalatory measures, starting in April, if progress in the case had not been made.
Eleven Lebanese Shiite men were snatched in the Azaz district of Aleppo on May 22 of last year as they returned home from a religious pilgrimage in Iran. Two hostages were released in August and September of last year. The families of the hostages believe that Qatar and Turkey can help in freeing their loved ones because they are the main backers of the Syrian opposition.
Qatar recently appointed an official to follow up on the hostages’ case in January following a visit by Interior Minister Marwan Charbel and the head of the General Security, Maj. Gen Abbas Ibrahim.
Speaking during the Arab League summit Tuesday, Sleiman urged attendees to make every effort to gain the release of the remaining hostages.
Sleiman also met with Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu Tuesday on the sidelines of the summit and called on Ankara to “exert every effort within its means” to secure the release of the hostages.
Separately, U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon telephoned Sleiman late Tuesday and praised his efforts in preserving stability in Lebanon, highlighting the need for Lebanese to protect their security during this difficult phase.
Ban expressed his understanding of Lebanon’s need for support in addressing the humanitarian issues related to the incessant influx of Syrian refugees. Sleiman highlighted the growing burden of Syrian refugees in Lebanon during his speech Tuesday.
Sleiman and Hamad also discussed ways to boost bilateral ties between the two countries as well as the situation of Lebanese in Gulf countries and Gulf Cooperation Council states in general.
