In this regard, PM Salam stated that Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will visit today (Sunday) Qatar, expressing his hope that the latter’s visit yields fruitful results regarding the case of abducted soldiers.
In a press conference held in Qatar, PM Salam noted that General Security Chief Major General Abbas Ibrahim will stay in Qatar to proceed with negotiations pertaining to the release of soldiers.
In this context, Salam said talks are ongoing, but are still at early stages, emphasizing that Lebanon is the target of terrorist groups.
On another note, PM Salam stressed the necessity of electing a new president.
Prime Minister Tammam Salam arrived to Doha to meet with Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad and the prime minister in order to discuss the latest developments regarding the case of the abducted soldiers, as well as the situation in Lebanon and the region. Salam was accompanied by a ministerial delegation, including Ministers of Labor Sejaan Azzi, Culture Rony Arayji, Public Works and Transportation Ghazi Zaiter and Interior and Municipalities Nouhad al-Mashnouq, as well as Director General of General Security Major General Abbas Ibrahim. Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim stressed that the demands of the kidnappers are being delivered from outside the region of Qalamoun and vary between the Islamic State and al-Nusra Front, pointing out that the negotiations are being conducted separately. In this regard, Ibrahim explained that Qatar is playing the role of the mediator between al-Nusra and IS, stating that “some of the demands are impossible while others can be met.