BEIRUT: The Progressive Socialist Party took the lead in negotiations with jihadi militants holding 25 Lebanese servicemen captive Sunday, as Health Minister Wael Abu Faour appointed Arsal’s deputy Mayor Ahmad Fliti to mediate talks with the Nusra Front and ISIS. Fliti told The Daily Star that he was commissioned by Abu Faour under the instruction of Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblatt to take charge of mediation efforts. Jumblatt was “adamant on resuming negotiations to release the hostages,” Fliti said.
Jumblatt’s Progressive Socialist Party has clamorously supported efforts to secure the release of the Lebanese hostages.
Throughout negotiations, the health minister has worked with informal mediators such as divisive Arsal sheikh Mustafa Hujeiri in order to avert, albeit temporarily, the execution of captive Ali Bazzal.
Fliti, who will serve as a liaison between the militants and Abu Faour, noted that he was commissioned by only a faction in the Lebanese government and not the Cabinet as a whole. An official appointment by the Lebanese government may be possible, he said.
The deputy mayor expressed confidence in his appointment.
“I am on the ground, and always at the scene of events so in case of any emergency, I will always be ready,” he said.
According to the deputy mayor, who met with ISIS militants on the outskirts of Arsal earlier Sunday, the group expressed its readiness to work with him.
During the meeting, ISIS militants conveyed their demands, Fliti said, noting that the group wants a unified government stance over the acceptance of a swap deal.
Fliti refused to disclose their other demands.
With regard to his next meeting with the captors, Fliti said there was no scheduled date, but highlighted that he would go if Jumblatt or the health minister requested him to.
Earlier Sunday, a spokesperson for the families of the captives, Hussein Youssef, told The Daily Star that one of the family members had received a call from ISIS militants in which the jihadi group announced that it had accepted Fliti’s appointment as a mediator in negotiations with the Lebanese government.
According to the spokesperson, the Nusra Front has yet to officially accept the selection.
Youssef was optimistic over Fliti’s appointment, expressing his beliefs that the deputy mayor could play a positive role in negotiating the release of the captives.
“The acceptance of Fliti’s appointment is a very positive indicator,” Youssef said.
On Saturday, Jumblatt confirmed that Abu Faour has remained in contact with the jihadis despite stalled negotiations.
“Upon my authorization, Wael [Abu Faour] will remain in contact with ISIS and the Nusra [Front] because what matters to us are the lives of the servicemen,” Jumblatt wrote on Twitter.
Fliti clarified that he has been acting as Abu Faour’s liaison with the militants, denying that the health minister was holding direct contact with the captors.
In a series of tweets Saturday evening, Jumblatt called on Interior Minister Nouhad Machnouk and General Security Chief Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim to join efforts to free the policemen and soldiers by accepting a swap deal.
ISIS and Nusra have been keeping the captives on the outskirts of Arsal since August, when they engaged in fierce battles with Lebanese Army troops.
Each of the two fundamentalist groups has so far executed two of the servicemen.
Sheikh Wissam Masri, an informal mediator who met with ISIS earlier Thursday, told The Daily Star that he welcomed Fliti’s appointment.
Masri, who is not tasked by any official group, noted that his efforts are focused on receiving a pledge from ISIS to stop executing and threatening the hostages, adding he was “halfway there,” to fulfilling his goal.
No comments:
Post a Comment