LBC television carried out
an exclusive interview with eight of the 11 kidnapped Lebanese Shiite men in
Syria’s Azaz on Tuesday night. Some of the abductees called on Lebanon’s
government to recognize the Syrian rebels and on Lebanese people to revolt
against the ruling system in their country.
In May, 11 Shiite pilgrims
were abducted in Syria’s Aleppo while returning from a pilgrimage in Iran.
One of the kidnapped men,
Ali Hussein Zoughaib, announced during the interview his support for the Syrian
uprising, calling it the “revolution for freedom.”
In turn, Ali Omar called on
Lebanon’s government, led by Premier Najib Miqati, to recognize the rebels and
voiced his hope that it would communicate with them.
Omar’s stance was also
echoed by Hussein Abbas, who called for acknowledging “the legitimacy of the
Free Syrian Army.”
He also denied the presence
of “terrorist organizations” and “mercenaries” in Syria.
As for Abu Ali Saleh, he
told LBC that the abductors were treating the kidnapped men “like brothers,”
adding that the kidnappers were not demanding “money but freedom.”
Abbas Hammoud, another
kidnapped Shiite man, asked what Miqati “was waiting for to resign.”
He also called on the
families of the kidnapped men to block roads in Lebanon as an act of objection
over the kidnapping.
In turn, Ali Termos urged
the Lebanese government to call for retrieving the kidnapped, who he said were
“in good health.”
Moreover, Hassan Arzouni
said the Syrian people should not be blamed “if they demanded freedom.”
He also called on the
Lebanese people to take to the streets “to liberate themselves from their
regime.”
In turn, Abbas Shouayb
called on Future bloc MP Okab Sakr to make efforts to bring the abductees back to
their homeland, and also requested that Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdel Aziz,
Turkish Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Qatar look into the case of the
Lebanese abductees and the Syrian rebels.
“I will not call on my
government [to do the same] because it will not respond,” Sheayeb said.
Azaz, where the abductees
are presently held, is located along the Syrian-Turkish border.
Following the abduction in
May, a previously unknown armed group calling itself the "Syrian
Revolutionaries—Aleppo Province" said that it was holding the Shiite men,
while the Free Syrian Army had repeatedly denied its involvement in the
abduction.
The families of the
kidnapped men have repeatedly accused the Lebanese government of inaction
toward the case. On Monday, they shortly blocked Beirut’s airport road and
later on Tuesday protested in front of the Turkish embassy.
They have also threatened to escalate their protests if their demands to
address the issue are not met.http://www.nowlebanon.com/NewsArticleDetails.aspx?ID=426035#
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