The Qatari envoy who is in the outskirts of Arsal to negotiate in the case of kidnapped soldiers by extremist groups since last August, received on Friday the list of demands of the abductees.

According to LBCI: “The Qatari envoy, who is in the outskirts of Arsal, received the list of demands of the soldiers' kidnappers.”

Britain's David Cameron raised the issue of funding for extremist groups at a meeting with the emir of Qatar in London on Wednesday, the prime minister's office said.

Qatar is part of the U.S.-led coalition against the Islamic State group, but has been accused of allowing money to be funneled to Islamic State jihadists, something it denies.

The families of the captive troops and policemen burned tires on Wednesday evening at the Riad al-Solh Square in downtown Beirut over perceived “procrastination” in negotiations to free their loved ones, despite reports of a meeting between Qatar's mediator and al-Nusra Front.

“Relatives of hostage servicemen set tires ablaze in Riad al-Solh over reports of procrastination in the negotiations,” Voice of Lebanon radio (93.3) said.

Qatar's sovereign wealth fund said Monday it had bought a 19.9 percent stake in Hong Kong-based retail operator Lifestyle International Holdings for $600 million (470 million euros).

The Qatar Investment Authority said the acquisition was part of its strategy in "diversifying" its investments and "expanding into new markets in Asia", according to a statement published on the official QNA news agency.

General Security chief Major General Abbas Ibrahim traveled to Qatar to follow up the case of abducted soldiers and policemen, As Safir newspaper reported on Monday.

The daily said that Ibrahim will kick off discussions with Qatari officials, who are tasked with negotiating the safe release of the captive servicemen.

Arab states in the Gulf plan to launch a joint naval force, a top Kuwaiti defense official said on Wednesday, in a bid to protect waters shared with neighboring Iran.

The new force is expected to be formed in the "coming months", Major General Ahmad Yussef al-Mulla was quoted as saying by the official KUNA news agency.

Syria's main opposition National Coalition has reelected Qatar-backed candidate Ahmad Tohme as its prime minister after a standoff between rival rebel backers Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

After five days of meetings in Istanbul, Tohme was reelected to the post, which he was dismissed from in July after just 10 months in the job.

The emir of Qatar held talks with Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah on Monday night, official media said, while both Gulf nations battle Islamic State extremists in Syria.

The Saudi monarch received "his brother" Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani at the palace in Jeddah on the Red Sea, the Saudi Press Agency said.

Syria's main opposition bloc failed to agree on a prime minister during a weekend summit in Turkey, participants said, the latest setback for a coalition long beset by internal divisions.

A member of the National Coalition who declined to be named said the biggest dispute at the Istanbul meeting centered around a split between the favored candidates of vital funders Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

The so-called ministerial crisis cell on Saturday decided to take a number of “steps” that might eventually lead to the release of troops and police abducted by jihadist groups, amid reports that they are being held hostage in an “explosive-rigged” house on the outskirts of the northeastern border town of Arsal.

After a meeting at the Grand Serail, the cell said it “discussed the situations and the latest developments in the negotiations aimed at freeing the captive security personnel.”