Sayyed Nasrallah: Aazaz Pilgrims Liberation Opens Old Abduction Files

Nour Rida

serving the people of and Resistance of Lebanon.

Starting with a sensitive issue, i.e. the abduction cases and missing nationals, Sayyed Nasrallah said the latest Aazaz pilgrims freedom as opened the door to old files of those missing in Syrian prisons. 

"We are pleased that the case of the Aazaz pilgrims has been resolved and we congratulate them on their safe return to Lebanon. We need to follow up with cases of other abductees as well, such as the abducted bishops in Syria, Sayed Hassan al-Moqdad and Lebanese photographer Samir Kassab."

Sayyed Nasrallah added "Their [the pilgrims] safe return to Lebanon offers hope that all old cases of kidnappings can be tackled. Some of the families of the missing Lebanese people in Syria have begun to raise their voices again," iterating "The release of the Aazaz pilgrims should also pave the way for tackling the case of the Lebanese missing and arrested in Syria in the past."
Mechanisms to follow up on other kidnapping cases should be formulated, according to Sayyed Nasrallah. 

Indicating that Lebanon deserves all sacrifices, he specified that a state which respects itself will be able to tackle these humanitarian issues.
"This is a state that respects itself because the case of the Aazaz pilgrims was resolved. This is a resistance that does not consent leaving behind the corpses or the remains of its martyred fighters."

"There are 17,000 people that have gone missing over the past few decades, , including Lebanese, Palestinians, Syrians and the four Iranian diplomats. These issues should be resolved," the Resistance leader pointed out.

"I have received word from Syria that it is willing to help resolve the cases of missing persons and we hope these efforts will yield happy endings."
On a related note, Sayyed Nasrallah stated "On every occasion, the issue of Imam Sayyed Moussa al-Sader and his brothers comes up, and this is a national issue and the state must take responsibility for this matter. It is the Imam who lifted deprivation, the Imam of Resistance we are talking about." 

Back to the Aazaz pilgrims file, Sayyed Nasrallah believed the pilgrims were kidnapped for political reasons, which are issues that need tackling rather than abandoning.

On the Syrian developments, Sayyed Nasrallah viewed that "The events in Syria have great effect on the developments in Lebanon on a variety of levels, because there is a certain Lebanese camp linking the situation in Syria to the situation in Lebanon. Many developments took place during the past months, where the situation developed on ground to the benefit of the Arab Syrian army in face of the terrorist armed groups that have not been able to unite together. All developments assure there is no military solution to the crisis in Syria."

At the end of the day, the developments in Syria have helped us realize that there can only be a political solution in Syria. All concerned sides should approach dialogue in Syria without preconditions."
Moreover, Sayyed Nasrallah assured that Saudi Arabia has been really upset to the events in the region, and has resorted to all means to topple the regime in Syria but failed.

"Saudi Arabia is now seeking to obstruct dialogue in Syria and the Geneva 2 conference. It has mobilized tens of thousands of fighters from all over the world, backed them up with 30 billion dollars and arms so far, also incited media outlets to topple the Syrian regime but failed."

According to the Hizbullah Chief, the region cannot remain unstable and aflame just because a regional state is not happy with the situation and wants to impede dialogue and hamper the Geneva 2 conference.
"Those who are keen on the lives of the Syrians should lay blame on those who are obstructing the political solution," he pointed out.

Addressing the March 14 camp on the government formation, Sayyed Nasrallah stated "You have failed in investing on the developments in Syria in order to impose your agenda in Lebanon. According to the March 14 camp, the only way to end the deadlock in Lebanon lies in forming a new government.
He added "take the opportunity we are giving you, we are accepting the 9-9-6 formula regarding the issue of the cabinet formation so take this opportunity because it might not be there later on."

"You [March 14] made failed bets since 2005 and now you are betting on Syrian events. Today I tell you these bets have also failed so let us focus on internal issues," he reiterated adding "The March 14 camp wants to impose its conditions in forming a new government. Nine ministers for the March 8 camp is less than what it deserves given its political weight. Once a new government is formed, the March 14 camp would comply to returning to the national dialogue and parliament, which in turn would ease the economic situation in Lebanon."

Questioning the March 14 Sayyed Nasrallah wondered "We are being humble by accepting this formula and now it is your turn to be humble and accept it. Doesn't this country deserve some sacrifice from you?"

On a related note, Sayyed Nasrallah called on President Michel Suleiman and all ministers to hold a cabinet session and call on [March 14] to stop disrupting the cabinet, because there are two issues that cannot be postponed any longer: The issue of oil and gas exploration, and the issue of the country's security.

On the Tripoli situation which he described as sad, Sayyed Nasrallah said the situation there is getting worse due to political and religious fueling of the conflict.
He called for a strict decision by the Lebanese army with which everyone must respect and cooperate, in order to prevent any bombings in Lebanon which targets all its nationals from the different regions and sects.

Source: al-Ahed news