Hariri: Consensus president sole solution
The election of a consensus candidate is the only solution to end the political deadlock that has left Lebanon without...
Sunday, 30 November 2014
Maliki meets ex-Lebanon premier Hoss over terrorism
BEIRUT: Iraqi Vice President Nouri Maliki met with Lebanese former Prime Minister Salim al-Hoss Sunday, a day after he arrived in Beirut to discuss terrorism with local officials.
“The Iraqis will eventually win due to their unity and cohesion,” Hoss said after the meeting at his residence in the Malla area, saying he had confidence in the Iraqi state and people who are confronting the rise of terrorism.
Maliki had arrived at Beirut’s Saturday, and was welcomed by Hezbollah and Amal Movement MPs at Rafik Hariri International Airport.
Maliki, a former prime minister who was ousted earlier this year under international pressure after being blamed for marginalizing Iraqi Sunnis and helping give rise to ISIS, said he was in Lebanon to discuss the isssue of terrorism.
Maliki updated Hoss on the situation in Iraq and the battle against ISIS, according to the National News Agency. Hoss offered wishes to the Iraqi people, wishing them success against terrorism, and hoping that the “murky” cloud will leave Lebanon, Syria and Palestine.
Maliki was accompanied by the Iraqi Ambassador to Lebanon Raad al-Allousi during the visit.
Although warmly received by Hezbollah, Maliki’s visit was criticized by many politicians, due to the Iraqi official’s controversial image and the accusations levelled against him of discrimination and corruption.
After being forced out as Iraq's prime minister in August, Maliki was given the largely ceremonial role of vice president.
Meanwhile, a Lebanese lawyer filed a complaint with the public prosecutor's office, asking the judiciary to detain Maliki at the airport over his alleged role in the 1981 Iraq Embassy bombing in Beirut that killed 60 people, according to Anadolu news agency.
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Lebanon sheikh says not tasked to negotiate Arsal hostage release
BEIRUT: An influential sheikh acting as an unofficial liaison between the relatives of 26 the Lebanese hostages and their jihadi captors denied Sunday that he had been appointed as an official mediator in negotiations.
Sheikh Mustafa Hujeiri used to mediate between the Lebanese government and jihadis from ISIS and the Nusra Front until authorities accused him of belonging to the latter group, and issued an arrest warrant against him.
But he still meets with the captors and the families, arranges for visits, and has been credited with helping stop executions.
In comments published by Ash Sharq Al Awsat newspaper Sunday, Hujeiri denied a report that the government had appointed him to negotiate.
The remarks came in response to an Al-Akhbar report published Saturday that said the Lebanese government will negotiate directly with the militants through the Arsal sheikh.
Hujeiri also said that the Nusra Front had updated the list of names of Roumieh prisoners it is demanding in return for the release of 26 hostages.
“The Lebanese government has received a number of names from the Nusra Front in order to launch negotiations and [achieve] a swap-deal,” he added.
The captors first handed negotiators a list of demands on Nov. 1, the Nusra Front had announced at the time.
According to the former mediator, negotiations over a potential swap deal must start as soon as possible in order for The Nusra Front to issue a second list of names.
The Arsal aheikh warned that this was the government's "last chance" to launch serious negotiations and agree on a trade off with the captors, otherwise the hostages would be killed.
The jihadi group is requesting the release of five Lebanese inmates detained in Roumieh and 50 female prisoners in Syria in return for each of the 26 captives.
The Nusra Front announced Thursday that it was demanding the release of female terror suspect Joumana Hmeid, who was arrested for driving a car rigged with 50 kg of explosives on the Arsal-Labweh road earlier this year.
Hujeiri confirmed that he had helped avert the execution of one of the captives over the weekend, after the Nusra Front issued a threat Thursday to execute Ali Bazzal in 24 hours if the Lebanese government didn’t release Hmeid.
“The [deaths] would not have been limited to Ali Bazzal,” Hujeiri said.
According to the sheikh, the captors were set to execute several soldiers due to a stalemate in negotiations, noting that his intervention involved “great efforts to prevent the dramatic escalation of events.”
The Arsal figure also noted that his intervention compelled the Nusra Front to give the Lebanese government "a final chance" to put negotiations back on track.
Ali Bazzal’s wife, Rana Fliti, had told The Daily Star that Hujeiri had left to the outskirts of Arsal on Friday to meet with the captors and convice them not to kill him.
The effort also involved intervention by Health Minister Wael Abu Faour, and MP Jamal Jarah, Hujeiri said.
General Security Head Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim also negotiated through mediators in an attempt to persuade the captors to call off the killing.
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