Families of Lebanese detainees in Syria to submit petition to President Sleiman
The families of Lebanese detainees in Syria will organize a march today at 10:30 a.m. from Hazmieh to the presidential palace in Baabda, which will coincide with Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Mouallem’s arrival in Lebanon.
The families of the detainees will submit a memorandum to President Michel Sleiman signed by 16 organizations, which calls for addressing the issue of the more than 600 Lebanese detainees in Syrian prisons.
While Damascus denies that there are Lebanese prisoners in Syrian detention, several families say they have already visited their relatives there.
The head of SOLIDE, or Support of Lebanese in Detention and Exile, Ghazi Aad expressed hope that Mouallem’s visit is an occasion to resolve the issue.
“This is a national priority and a precondition for healthy relations between the two countries,” he told AFP.