BEIRUT: Prime Minister Tammam Salam has advised the families of the kidnapped servicemen to disavow Lebanese politicians who are trying to use them as a political commodity for personal gains.
“It is no secret and I cannot deny the political struggle in Lebanon,” Salam said in remarks published Wednesday in Al-Akhbar. “The hostage crisis comes amid this split and we are watching rival [politicians], each in his own way, trying to exploit the issue through mobilization and incitement for personal gains.”
The hostage crisis, he added, “is not a political commodity and cannot be [exploited] to justify of our differences."
Salam acknowledged that negotiations with the jihadist captors presents a major challenge for the government, with many interfering and overlapping issues, including the split among politicians over the hostage crisis and the fact that the government is dealing with groups and not a state or one team.
“These groups [ISIS and the Nusra Front] do not hesitate to carry out any brutal and inhumane act, [which is] something that doesn’t help negotiations,” Al-Akhbar quoted Salam as saying.
“Nevertheless, we are trying to overcome all the obstacles to achieve progress, either through our internal capabilities or with external help,” he added.
Lebanese officials have been struggling to negotiate through Qatari mediators the release of some 21 soldiers and policemen since their capture during a five-day battle with jihadists in August.
The families of the hostages have been blocking roads across the country since their capture to pressure the government to do more to secure their release.
More than 30 servicemen were originally abducted during the battle in Arsal. Three have since been executed, and seven released.
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