Families of Abducted Pilgrims in Syria Urge Qatar to Cooperate
The family members of the 11 abducted Lebanese pilgrims staged a sit-in on Friday near the Qatari embassy in Ain el-Tineh in Beirut.
Sheikh Abbas Zgheib, who has been tasked by the Higher Islamic Shiite Council to follow up the case, urged Qatar to cooperate to resolve the case of the abducted men.
He told reporters “we are a hospitable people also,” hinting that they might kidnap Qatari citizens in Lebanon.
Zgheib, surrounded by the angry protesters, threatened to ignite Lebanon if the government failed to act.
“We are keen on preserving Lebanon and its interests but not at the expense of our dignity,” he noted.
Zgheib called on Prime Minister Najib Miqati to form a committee to follow up the case.
“Escalatory measures began… We refuse to bargain on our dignity,” he said.
The protesters said that they might stage protests near the U.S. and Saudi embassies.
LBCI TV reported that a brief dispute occurred between one of the journalists and the Internal Security Forces, but the protesters interfered and the situation calmed down.
On Tuesday, the families of pilgrims threatened that Turkish citizens would become “guests” in Lebanon if Ankara does not make serious efforts to set the abductees free.
The 11 pilgrims were kidnapped by a group of armed men in the northern Syrian province of Aleppo on May 22 while returning home from Iran.
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