BEIRUT: Doubts were cast Monday over the rumored appointment of a new mediator in negotiations to secure the release of 25 Lebanese servicemen held hostage by ISIS and the Nusra Front. While the Nusra Front’s official Twitter page did not mention the alleged appointment of Tripoli Sheikh Wissam Masri as a mediator, media reports quoted Masri as saying he had been commissioned by the group.
Muslim Scholars Committee member Sheikh Adnan Amama claimed that the Nusra Front officially announced Masri’s appointment, basing his account on a statement purportedly circulated on WhatsApp by the extremist group, he told The Daily Star. The authenticity of the statement, which was attributed to the Nusra Front, could not be verified.
According to the professed statement, which was provided to The Daily Star by Amama, Masri contacted the Nusra Front and expressed his willingness to take the lead on negotiations. “We [Nusra] don’t mind continuing negotiations through him,” it read.
However, the document provided by Amama featured marked differences from previous statements issued publicly by the group. Key markers, such as the group’s logo, appear different. The date of publication, which in previous statements appeared on the bottom of the page, was not included.
The signoff, from “Nusra Front’s Administration in Qalamoun” is the first time such a signature was used.
The statement included conditions for negotiations to resume, including the release of the ex-wife of ISIS chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, Saja al-Dulaimi, as well as Ola al-Oqaili, wife of ISIS commander Anas Sharkas. Another condition called on civilians in and around Arsal to be protected.
Amama said that the Muslim Scholars Committee had decided to “freeze” its initiative to mediate the release of the servicemen after receiving the statement. “The Lebanese government doesn’t want to appoint us and apparently neither does Nusra,” he said.
Masri could not be reached when contacted by The Daily Star.Sheikh Jasem Askar, a mediator who negotiated for the body of executed soldier Mohammad Hammieh and averted, albeit temporarily, the execution of captive policeman Ali Bazzal, told The Daily Star that he had received another statement in which the Nusra Front denied Masri’s appointment.
Askar could not provide the statement to The Daily Star.
“The Nusra Front denied that it had appointed any mediator but said that it welcomed any party approved by the Lebanese government,” Askar said, paraphrasing the document.
Hussein Youssef, father of captive soldier Mohammad Youssef held by ISIS, also could not confirm whether the Nusra Front had indeed appointed Masri as their mediator. “The families of the hostages did not receive any information from the captors concerning the appointment of a new mediator,” he said, adding that to his knowledge the group “didn’t even release a statement announcing it.”
Masri, a member of Lebanon’s Salafist Gathering, owns a pastry shop in Tripoli’s Abu Samra neighborhood. Known for his moderate stances, Masri has served as the imam of several mosques in Tripoli, including the Qibbeh, Sunna and Ihsan Mosques. Currently, he is the imam and preacher of the Abul Anwar Mosque in the Souq al-Dahab neighborhood.
Speaking to MTV television station, Masri said he would only accept to become the new mediator if he was formally commissioned by the Lebanese government to do so within 48 hours.
Earlier Monday, General Security chief Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim said that Lebanon actually held several strong cards it could use in the negotiations, but that greater consensus among government parties must be achieved before resorting to these cards. “We hold many strong cards and we need greater consensus over them in order to launch work,” he said in a radio interview.
According to the General Security head, the Lebanese government had resorted to several negotiation channels with the captors, all of which have been indirect, and “unfortunately a lot of those channels have failed.”
Ibrahim invoked a proverb that says “too many cooks spoils the broth,” as an indication to the involvement of several mediators over the hostage dossier, which reflected negatively on the process. “Dealing with such issues does not require emotions, but mind and firmness,” he said.
Meanwhile, relatives of Lebanon’s captive servicemen burned tires outside the Grand Serail in Downtown Beirut Monday after receiving phone calls from militants threatening to kill a hostage within 48 hours unless the government responded to their demands.
The kidnappers issued the threats after receiving reports that the state had told the families that it “would not negotiate and that the captives should be considered martyrs,” Health Minister Wael Abu Faour said after meeting with the families at the nearby Agriculture Ministry.
But Abu Faour denied that a decision had been made by the government to consider the captives martyrs.
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