Reports: Qatar Ready to Pay $5 Million to Free Lebanese Held in Aazaz
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
Qatar is ready to pay a $5 million ransom to free the Lebanese pilgrims, who were kidnapped in Syria on May 22, unnamed sources told An-Nahar daily Friday.
General Security chief Abbas Ibrahim is following up closely on the controversial file and has met with President Michel Suleiman three times in ten days after his visit to Qatar and Turkey in January.
Ibrahim briefed Suleiman on his talks with Turkish and Qatari authorities. And according to reports, Qatar has expressed readiness to pay a $5 million ransom to free the hostages held by rebels in the Aleppo town of Aazaz that lies near the Turkish border.
In January, Prime Minister Najib Mikati headed to Turkey accompanied by an official Lebanese delegation, and asked Turkey to wield pressure on the Syrian kidnappers to release the nine remaining Lebanese hostages.
Eleven Lebanese pilgrims were taken captive by rebels on May 22 in Syria’s Aleppo district, shortly after crossing from Turkey while on their way back to Lebanon from Iran, where they had been on a pilgrimage.
Two of the hostages were released in August and September.
Qatar and Turkey are strong backers of the revolution against Syrian President Bashar Assad.
22 February 2013, 09:28
68
It is because you are wrong about what is going on in Syria. Qatar supports certain brigades under the FSA banner. In Syria now, there are many rogue groups - many do not answer to anyone and some engage in ransom for profit.
22 February 2013, 10:34
22
I think this $5 million ransom to free the Lebanese pilgrims is not a good move from Qatar and it will not be welcomed from Qatari people who believe those pilgrims are supporting Assad and they are real terrorists where should be hanged without trial
22 February 2013, 10:38
22
I think this $5 million ransom to free the Lebanese pilgrims is not a good move from Qatar and it will not be welcomed from Qatari people who believe those pilgrims are supporting Assad and they are real terrorists where should be hanged without trial
22 February 2013, 10:53
41
$5MILLION!!!??? Lol thnx Qatar! :D
All jokes aside, all Qatar n turkey have to do is order their release. Let's be serious, I think by now we all know who runs what side...
22 February 2013, 12:49
23
lol...This reminds me of this one case when a guy in Australia who worked as a volunteer firefighter would go around and light fires in the bush and then immediately after he lights them he would go home and go out with his friends and wait for a emergency phone call requiring his assistance to go put out the fires,all that just so he could look good.
I don't know how stupid the Qatari thinks people are, but this fire was lite by him, and now he thinks he will receive the gratitude for putting it out.
22 February 2013, 17:46
22
"...firefighter would go around and light fires in the bush and then immediately after he lights them he would go home and go out with his friends and wait for a emergency phone call requiring his assistance to go put out the fires,all that just so he could look good."
that was and is the syrian baath policy in lebanon for decades :)
22 February 2013, 17:47
32
"let lebanon pay the ransom " before that lebanon has to pay better salaries :)
22 February 2013, 18:43
30
the majority of the lebanese debt lies in the banks of assad, go ask him to pay back lebanon all the money he stole...
24 February 2013, 00:39
00
May be that's why these so called freedom fighters don't want to see an end to this war...
It's a money making business for them.If not looting, it's a ransom money..
