Daily Star - Questions arise over arrests of Lebanese truckers in Iraq - April 29,2010

Copyright (c) 2010 The Daily Star

Thursday, April 29, 2010
Questions arise over arrests of Lebanese truckers in Iraq


By The Daily Star

BEIRUT: Talks over the phone held on Tuesday between Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and Premier Saad Hariri concerning the arrest of Lebanese truck drivers in Iraq raised questions about the reasons and conditions behind the arrest of truckers.
The truck drivers, said to be about 120, were arrested in the Iraqi region of Ritba and Lebanese officials have been contacting Iraqi authorities to clarify the matter, especially that the reasons for the arrest remain unclear.
While Maliki assured Hariri he would work on releasing the drivers, according to Information Minister Tarek Mitri, Transport Minister Ghazi al-Aridi said Iraqi authorities have not yet given a clear answer.
Speaking to pan-Arab daily Ash-Sharq al-Awsat in comments published on Wednesday Aridi said the arrested drivers have been held captive for almost a month without a clear accusation. “The situation is suspicious and we as the Lebanese government ask for an answer,” he added.
Early reports said the drivers worked for the Lebanese National Cement company Al-Sabaa and they were arrested after a decision was made to ban cement-carrying vehicles. Bags bearing the company’s stamps were allegedly found at sites hit by bombings in Iraq.
Nonetheless Aridi dismissed the possibility of a ban and Ash-Sharq al-Awsat quoted sources as saying corruption deals and bribery demands from the Iraqi side could have been behind the arrests. The sources added one of the merchants buying the cement could have been linked to a terrorist group.
The arrested drivers were allowed to contact their families but they complained they were being treated badly.
Iman Othman wife of Yehya Abdel-Wahed, one of the arrested truckers, said her husband called her every two days. “He is in bad psychological condition and he and his colleagues are being held in the desert and fed beans everyday without any water,” she added.
However, Iraqi authorities did not share the same view. Head of the police at the Iraqi province of Anbar Baheddine Hussein al-Kakhi said: “All vehicles carrying cement were forbidden from entering the country and the orders were given by the Iraqi prime minister… The drivers are Lebanese and Jordanians and they are being treated well.” – The Daily Star