MP Jumblatt: State institutions are the only legitimate body entitled to deal with Lebanon's crisis

Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblatt hailed on Monday the efforts deployed by General Security chief Major General Abbas Ibrahim in releasing the nine Lebanese pilgrims who were kidnapped in Syria's Aazaz.

MP Jumblatt's comments came in his weekly editorial in the PSP-affiliated al-Anbaa website. He also noted that the case showed that state institutions are the only legitimate body entitled to deal with foreign powers during times of crises.”

MP Jumblatt stressed that the release of the pilgrims has been previously "thwarted by the interference of individuals and countries, which complicated matters."

As for the release of Syrian female prisoners held in Syrian prisons as part of the deal to free the pilgrims, MP Jumblatt said that this issue "does not eliminate the fact that hundreds of thousands of Syrians are still prisoners of their country's regime.”

Eleven Lebanese pilgrims were kidnapped on their way back from Iran by insurgents hoping to use them for a prisoner swap on the 22nd of May.

Two were released last year, while the nine were released on Friday, returning to Lebanon by Saturday.