Ministers Hint Hostages File Nearing Completion

Prime Minister Tammam Salam is set to preside a meeting of the ministerial committee tasked with following up the case of Lebanese hostages as a last step before their expected release.

Ministerial sources told An Nahar daily published on Monday that the Lebanese authorities have completed the file of the prisoner exchange.

They confirmed reports that Lebanon is set to release 16 prisoners, including three women, in return for being handed over the 16 servicemen who were taken hostage by al-Nusra Front fighters last year.

Al-Nusra and Islamic State group jihadists took soldiers and policemen captive when they overran the northeastern border town of Arsal in August 2014.

While the negotiations with al-Nusra through a mediator from Qatar have made a headway, the talks with the IS have reached a standstill over their crippling demands.

The sources told An Nahar that Lebanese authorities are awaiting the mediator’s next step to see when the expected prisoner exchange would take place.

The families of the soldiers and police hostages have blocked roads in several areas in a bid to pressure the government to secure the release of their relatives.