BEIRUT/ABBOUDIEH/ARIDA: Residents of the border towns of Arida
and Abboudieh, north Lebanon, blocked the highway connecting Lebanon and Syria
Thursday over the cross-border kidnapping by pro-Syrian regime forces of two
Lebanese farmers in the region.
President Michel Sleiman called on the Syrian authorities to
release the abductees.
The protesters also pitched tents in the middle of the highway
along with sand bags to block the road.
The two farmers, identified as Mohammad Yassine al-Merebi and
Hamdan Mahdi Mohammad, were working in Abboudieh Wednesday on agricultural land
when two Syrians snatched them and whisked them away to Syria.
The reasons for the kidnapping were unclear.
Following news of the abduction, relatives of the two farmers
blocked roads in Abboudieh in protest and urged the government to intervene.
Hundreds of trucks and cars have been left stranded in the
middle of the highway, though security forces are diverting traffic to ease
congestion.
Abboudieh and Arida are the only legal border crossings between
Lebanon and Syria in the north and are located around 7 kilometers away from
each other.
MP Moeen Merebi joined the protesters in Arida, demanding the
release of the kidnapped Lebanese and saying that the protests would escalate
if the farmers are not returned.
He also asked the Lebanese Army to protect Lebanese living in
border areas.
There have been several cases of kidnapping along the
Syria-Lebanon border as well as random shootings resulting in the killing of
both Lebanese and Syrians.
According to Sleiman's press office, the president called on the
Syrian authorities to release the two Abboudieh residents.
He added that the increase in kidnapping incidents and killings
on the border with Syria in recent days is of great concern and rejected.
The president
also said that an investigation should be carried out by both sides to clear
the picture and prevent such violations from recurring in the future.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Local-News/2012/May-31/175237-angry-residents-block-lebanon-syria-highway-over-kidnapping.ashx#axzz1wQjup3K6
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