Jumblat Warns: We Must Share Responsibility to Avert Chaos

Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat stressed on Friday that all political powers share the same responsibility to prevent the country from slipping into the chaos surrounding it.

“We share a common obligation to prevent” a fate similar to countries in the region, Jumblat said in a speech at the Druze Spiritual Council.

He stressed that dialogue between al-Mustaqbal Movement and Hizbullah “seeks to defuse the Sunni-Shiite tension.”

The representatives of the two parties held their sixth round of talks on Wednesday and agreed to come up with a national strategy to combat terrorism.

They kicked off the talks in December under the auspices of Speaker Nabih Berri.

Concerning negotiations with Islamist hostage-takers, Jumblat reiterated his stance to carry out a prisoners swap deal “in a way that doesn't affect the national security.”

Negotiations with the al-Qaida-affiliate al-Nusra Front and the IS became discrete after the government urged the families of the abducted servicemen to remain mum about the mediation in the case to ensure the release of their sons.

The policemen and soldiers were kidnapped by the Islamist gunmen in the wake of battles in the eastern border town of Arsal in August.

A few of them have since been released, four were executed, while the rest are still being held.

The hostage-takers had warned several times the Lebanese authorities that they would kill more captives if they did not meet their demands.

Among their demands is the release of Islamist prisoners in Lebanon.

H.K.

M.T.