The family members of
the 11 abducted Lebanese pilgrims staged a sit-in on Friday near the Qatari
embassy in Ain el-Tineh in Beirut.
Sheikh Abbas Zgheib, who
has been tasked by the Higher Islamic Shiite Council to follow up the case,
urged Qatar to cooperate to resolve the case of the abducted men.
He told reporters “we
are a hospitable people also,” hinting that they might kidnap Qatari citizens
in Lebanon.
Zgheib, surrounded by
the angry protesters, threatened to ignite Lebanon if the government failed to
act.
“We are keen on
preserving Lebanon and its interests but not at the expense of our dignity,” he
noted.
Zgheib called on Prime
Minister Najib Miqati to form a committee to follow up the case.
“Escalatory measures
began… We refuse to bargain on our dignity,” he said.
The protesters said that
they might stage protests near the U.S. and Saudi embassies.
LBCI TV reported that a
brief dispute occurred between one of the journalists and the Internal Security
Forces, but the protesters interfered and the situation calmed down.
On Tuesday, the families
of pilgrims threatened that Turkish citizens would become “guests” in Lebanon
if Ankara does not make serious efforts to set the abductees free.
The 11 pilgrims were
kidnapped by a group of armed men in the northern Syrian province of Aleppo on
May 22 while returning home from Iran.http://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/49608
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