Lebanese pilgrims relatives hold new sit-in outside Qatari embassy

The relatives of the Lebanese abductees in Syria's Aazaz lifted their sit-in outside the Qatari embassy in Ain el Tineh after a delegation of relatives headed to Ain El Tineh to brief them on the discussions they held with Interior Minister Marwan Charbel.    

In this regard, the son of one of the Lebanese abductees Adham Zgheib told LBCI that Minister Charbel told the delegation that contacts with Turkey are ongoing, adding “coordination between the Interior Ministry and the abductees’ relatives will continue.”   

Earlier this morning, demonstrators outside the Qatari embassy who were raising Lebanese flags and signs tried to break into the embassy but were prevented by security forces, leading to a dispute between both parties.    

The signs they raised stated that the kidnapped pilgrims are Lebanese citizens and therefore the Lebanese state should interfere to release them.     

When asked why they were protesting outside the Qatari Embassy, the relatives said they are trying to pressure Qatar which in turn could influence the rebels in Syria to release the Lebanese detainees.    

For her part, the spokeswoman of the families Hayat Awali had stated that “the Qatari Ambassador to Lebanon is no longer welcome, emphasizing that Qatar and Turkey are supporting terrorism and are covering the abductors.”       

LBCI sources had reported that the relatives were planning to distribute fliers to ask the Lebanese citizens to boycott Turkish merchandise.   

Earlier this morning, Adham Zgheib had told LBCI that their movements will continue, stressing that peaceful protests will take place next Saturday against the countries that support the Syrian opposition, including Turkey, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.         

LBCI had also contacted Interior Minister Marwan Charbel who affirmed that there wasn’t a conflict between the security members and the families, confirming that the protest was “simple” and that the case was solved immediately.