Arsal municipal chief Ali al-Hujair Fears Fate of Town, Warns of Dragging it into Battle/Derailed Al Rahi Calls for Made-in-Lebanon President/ Ibrahim Denies Reports on Nusra-Hostages Case

Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi Calls for Made-in-Lebanon President
Naharnet/23.05.05/Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi called on politicians Saturday to descend from their thrones and engage in settlements to end the presidential crisis as they are failing a community, a history and a nation.“Lebanon is passing through delicate circumstances and undergoing decay amid the lingering presidential vacuum,” al-Rahi said during a tour in the northern region of Batroun.“A decapitated body means death,” al-Rahi said, describing the presidential stalemate. He called on politicians to assume their responsibilities and elect a new head of state, saying: “You need to have the courage and free will, and posses a sense of responsibility to find a solution for the crisis.”“We want a made-in-Lebanon president, who is consensual and wise,” al-Rahi considered. Vacuum striking the presidential post since May last year is having a tough impact on the cabinet and the parliament as the state is threatened with further crises over ongoing rows between the rival parties.The parliament has failed 23 times to meet the two-thirds quorum required to hold an electoral session.

Arsal municipal chief Ali al-Hujair Fears Fate of Town, Warns of Dragging it into Battle
Naharnet /23.05.15/Arsal municipal chief Ali al-Hujairi expressed concern Saturday over attempts by Hizbullah and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) to drag the northeastern border town into battle. “They are trying to pull Arsal into a dark tunnel of blood and fire,” Hujairi said in comments published in the Kuwaiti al-Anbaa newspaper. He hailed the Lebanese army for preventing the mercenaries from meddling with the town’s security and stability. The municipal chief accused a number of Hizbullah affiliates of “placing the explosive-rigged car in Arsal,” revealing that the army is aware of their names and political ties. Explosive experts dismantled Thursday a car rigged with 35 kilograms of explosives in the town. Hujairi hailed Prime Minister Tammam Salam, Army Commander General Jean Qahwaji and Mustaqbal Movement chief Saad Hariri, stressing they assured him that “tampering with the security and fate of the town will not be allowed.” The official called on Hizbullah to aver a crisis in Arsal and the region as the repercussions of its fall will impact everyone, stressing that the town supports the army and its decisions. Hizbullah backed by Syrian forces controlled strategic areas in Qalamoun that abuts Lebanon’s eastern border as fighting rages in the region. Hizbullah cites that fear of militants (from the Islamic State group and al-Qaida-affiliate al-Nusra Front) sweeping through Shiite and Christian villages in diverse Lebanon as one of the main reasons for their involvement in Syria. Some observers however fear the Qalamoun offensive could prompt Islamist militants to launch attacks in Shiite areas of Lebanon itself, including Beirut’s southern suburbs. The IS and Nusra Front have infiltrated Lebanon in the past, and last August briefly overran Arsal, taking with them several soldiers and policemen hostage. Four of whom have been executed. However, a source close to the March 8 alliance stressed that Hizbullah “will not open Arsal Battle but will not remain mum over the state’s failure to control border towns and their outskirts.” The source, who refused to reveal his name, said that militants are entering Arsal at all times to buy diesel, food, arms and recruit gunmen. “Most of the booby-trapped cars that entered Lebanon passed through Arsal and armed men are using some Syrian refugees encampments to assault the army and Lebanon.

General Security chief Major General Abbas Ibrahim Denies Reports on Nusra-Hostages Case
Naharnet /23.05.15/General Security chief Major General Abbas Ibrahim denied Saturday information regarding the case of servicemen abducted by the al-Qaida-affiliate al-Nusra Front. “Reports concerning the case are false,” Ibrahim said in a statement issued by his press office.The statement remarked that Ibrahim is “personally in charge for negotiations with al-Nusra via the Qatari-appointed mediator.”Earlier on Saturday, al-Mustaqbal newspaper reported that the release of captives taken hostage by al-Nusra Front reached zero hour as the Lebanese state is carrying out the necessary measures to conduct a prisoners swap deal with the group.Judicial sources told the daily that the state is “preparing the files of several inmates” who will be released in exchange for the abducted servicemen. The daily said that 16 prisoners will be freed from Lebanese jails in one batch as the Qatari negotiator arrived in Beirut on Thursday to put the final touches on the deal. Concerned sources expressed optimism that the captive men would return to their families by next week. Al-Nusra Front has in its captivity 16 soldiers and policemen, while nine remain held by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). The soldiers and policemen were abducted by gunmen in the wake of clashes in the northeastern border town of Arsal.

A few of them have since been released and four were executed. IS jihadists also took hostages with them when they overran Arsal but the negotiations with the group have stalled over their crippling demands.