Mustaqbal: Hizbullah Pullout from Syria Best Barter to Free Captive Troops
Al-Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc on Wednesday noted that “the most important barter that might occur to secure the release of the captive troops would be Hizbullah's pullout from Syria,” while stressing that “the responsibility for defending Lebanon falls exclusively on the state's shoulders.”
In a statement issued after its weekly meeting, the bloc also condemned “the recurrent Israeli violations and attacks against southern Lebanon,” describing them as “a blatant violation of the U.N. Security Council Resolution (1701) and Lebanese sovereignty.”
But the bloc warned against “giving free excuses to the Israeli enemy amid these critical circumstances that the region is going through,” saying that could “draw repercussions against the Lebanese people and state.”
Turning to the deadly clashes in Brital's outskirts on Sunday, Mustaqbal said “these attacks are part of the continued attempt to implicate Lebanon in the region's conflicts,” urging Hizbullah to “withdraw from Syria immediately and completely.”
“Hizbullah's intervention in Syria is still the main reason behind bringing the flames of the Syrian blaze” into Lebanon, the bloc pointed out.
It underlined that “the responsibility for defending Lebanon is solely the responsibility of the Lebanese state through its legitimate army and security forces.”
Mustaqbal reminded that “Article 14 of UNSCR 1701 allows the Lebanese government to seek the help of the U.N. peacekeeping force to control the entire Lebanese border.”
Commenting on the issue of the Lebanese troops and policemen held hostage by al-Nusra Front and the Islamic State, the bloc said “the efforts of the prime minister and government must be met by full support in order to liberate the captives.”
“The most important barter that might occur to secure the release of all captives would be Hizbullah's pullout from Syria,” Mustaqbal added.
“Perhaps Hizbullah is demanded to face the truth and stop escaping forward and causing further Lebanese and Syrian casualties,” it said.
The families of the captive troops have escalated their protests in recent days in a bid to press the government to secure the release of their sons, who have been in captivity since the August 2 battle between the army and jihadist militants in the Bekaa border town of Arsal.
Y.R.
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