Introduction to the evening news 26-05-2012

The case of the Lebanese men kidnapped in Syria is oscillating between pain and scandal: The pain of relatives who are exhausted by conflicting information on the fate of their beloved ones and the scandal of the Lebanese state, which is acting with sheer confusion over the issue.    

Following last night’s celebrations at the Rafik Hariri International Airport’s VIP lounge and after Saad Hariri’s private jet took off heading for Turkey, the issue went back to square one. While it appears that the Lebanese state is the only absent side from negotiations in which several Arab and regional countries took part, the prime minister, Najib Mikati, announced that his trip to Turkey was postponed, preferring to await the release of the Lebanese abductees.     

Simultaneously with the state of confusion prevailing over Lebanon, Turkey has finally broke the silence as its foreign ministry issued a statement reassuring that the abductees are safe but have not been yet handed over to Turkey. The news was later confirmed by the AFP, quoting Turkish diplomatic sources, as it announced that the abductees are not in Turkey and that their case was surrounded by ambiguity.      

Turning from the kidnapping tragedy to the specter of death, Syria woke up today to a massacre in the town of Houla, claiming the lives of 92 people, including 32 children, amid the failure of UN observers who condemned in “the strongest terms the brutal tragedy”. Accordingly, the Free Syrian Army announced that it will stop implementing Annan’s plan in the event that the UN Security Council does not adopt an immediate solution to protect civilians.