Suleiman Discusses Case of Abducted Pilgrims with Emir of Qatar

The case of the nine abducted Lebaese pilgrims in Syria's Aazaz was the main topic of discussions between President Michel Suleiman and Emir of Qatar Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani on Wednesday.

Suleiman and al-Thani also tackled the latest developments in the Arab countries and the bilateral ties between the two countries.

Suleiman attended on Tuesday the Arab summit which was held at the Qatari capital.

The families of the nine pilgrims threatened on Tuesday to escalate their measures at beginning of April if the case wasn't resolved.

Suleiman discussed the case with Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu in Doha.

Eleven Lebanese pilgrims were kidnapped in Syria's Aleppo district in May 2012 as they were making their way back to Lebanon by land from pilgrimage in Iran.

Since then, two of them have been released, while the remaining nine are being held in Syria's Aazaz region.

The families of the pilgrims have repeatedly accused the government of failing to exert enough efforts to ensure their release.

They have also held Turkey and Qatar responsible for the ongoing abduction.

On the sidelines of the Arab summit, Suleiman held talks with several Arab senior officials including Arab League chief Nabil al-Arabi, Emir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmed al-Sabah, Jordanian King Abdullah ll, Saudi Crown Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz, Bahrain's Foreign Minister Sheikh Khaled bin Ahmed al-Khalifa.