Gemayel Urges Government to Settle Detainee Issue
Former President Amin Gemayel on Monday urged the government to settle the issue of Lebanese prisoners held in Syrian jails.
Gemayel, nevertheless, lamented the absence of the government on the prisoners swap deal between Israel and Hizbullah.
After congratulating the families of Lebanese prisoners whose release is expected soon, Gemayel hoped that the issue of detainees in Syrian jails would also be settled.
"We hope this will be a new chapter and that the prisoners in Syrian jails are freed," Gemayel told a news conference at the Phalange Party headquarters in Saifi.
He regretted that a significant prisoner swap has taken place between Hizbullah and Israel independent of Lebanese authorities.
Gemayel called on the government to "exercise all its powers" to free Lebanese detainees in Damascus, adding that this is "one gateway to healthy relations" between Lebanon and Syria.