BEIRUT: Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri called Friday for a quick end to the ordeal of soldiers and policemen held hostage by Islamist militants, while urging the Lebanese to rally behind the Army in the battle against terrorism that is threatening to destabilize the country.
The Lebanese Army, meanwhile, dismantled a 50-kilogram bomb near a military checkpoint on the outskirts of Arsal, in an incident reflecting simmering tension following the deadly clashes between troops and ISIS and Nusra Front militants in the northeastern town in August.
Addressing the Lebanese and Arabs on the eve of the Eid al-Adha holiday which begins Saturday, Hariri said in a statement: “We renew our call for the need to end the [hostage] ordeal and quickly find solutions that would ensure the safe return of the soldiers to their families and their homeland.”
“Our joy with the Eid will not be complete before we see the kidnapped soldiers in the arms of their families. This is a responsibility worthy of national consensus that requires taking a firm decision regardless of the price,” he added.
In order for Lebanon to defeat terrorism and prevent attacks on its national sovereignty, Hariri said, the Lebanese must stand united behind the Army and security forces.
Referring to the threat of terrorism facing Lebanon following the Arsal fighting, he said: “ Lebanon today needs more than good wishes and intentions.
“It needs a decision to give priority to national interest over our sectarian and political interests. And this matter can only be achieved through restoring prestige to the state and its institutions and rallying around the Lebanese Army and legitimate security forces, because they are solely responsible for confronting terrorism and all forms of attacks on national sovereignty.”
ISIS and Nusra Front militants captured more than 30 Lebanese soldiers and policemen during their brief takeover of Arsal.
They have since released seven and executed three. The two groups are seeking to swap the Lebanese hostages with Islamist detainees held at Roumieh prison.
The Cabinet Thursday granted Prime Minister Tammam Salam full mandate to negotiate by “all available means” the release of the hostages, but stopped short of endorsing a swap deal with the militants as demanded by the captors and the hostages’ families. Instead, the Cabinet reiterated its commitment to engage in indirect negotiations with the militants holding at least 21 soldiers and policemen hostage through a Qatari-sponsored mediation.
Salam sought Friday to assure the families of the captured soldiers that the government was negotiating with the kidnappers to secure the release of the hostages. He spoke by telephone with Health Minister Wael Abu Faour who was meeting with the hostages’ families at their sit-in camp on the Dahr al-Baidar highway that links Beirut with the eastern Bekaa region.
“Prime Minister Tammam Salam has expressed to the [hostages’] families his constant concern since the beginning of the Arsal incidents to stay in contact with all the families of the heroic soldiers as part of attempts to take necessary measures and steps to protect their lives, including negotiations with the kidnappers, to secure their release,” a statement released by Salam’s office said.
Noting that progress in the negotiations required a high level of secrecy to facilitate reaching a solution, “Salam has not made promises he could not deliver, but adopted transparency in addressing this complicated, thorny and dangerous file,” the statement said.
The hostages’ families have staged street protests in the past few days, blocking several roads with burning tires, including the Dahr al-Baidar highway, to press for government action to end the hostage ordeal. They have repeatedly urged the government to enter into a swap deal with the militants to secure the release of their loved ones.
After meeting Abu Faour, the families issued a statement saying they will spend the Eid al-Adha holiday at their sit-in camp on the Dahr al-Baidar highway which they vowed to keep blocked until their loved ones are released. Meanwhile, the Army discovered a barrel packed with 50 kilos of explosives near a military checkpoint outside Arsal, the military said in a statement.
An Army unit beefed up security measures in and around the area of Ras al-Sarej on the periphery of Arsal after discovering that the barrel was filled with “explosive chemicals.” Security sources told The Daily Star that the barrel contained paint thinner, which may detonate under certain conditions.
A military expert who dismantled the explosives concluded that the bomb was primed to be detonated remotely, the statement said.
The National News Agency said the explosive container consisted of four compartments: two large ones and two smaller ones that were connected by a thin metal sheet. The Army was tipped off by a local resident who thought the container looked suspicious, the report said.
Last month, three soldiers were killed in a roadside bomb that targeted an Army truck in Arsal.
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