At Least 177 Lebanese Citizens Are Believed Missing in Syria
The daily newspaper al-Mustaqbal on Wednesday published the names of 177 Lebanese citizens believed to be missing and held in Syrian jails.
The report said the list includes names of Lebanese Army troops who went missing on Oct. 13, 1990 when the Syrian military smashed Gen. Michel Aoun”s troops in a swift assault.
The list, the report added, also includes names of Lebanese citizens held in Syrian jails on charges of committing "normal crimes in Syria." These names had been released by former Attorney General Adnan Addoum in December, 2000.
Other names included in the list were obtained by an organization entrusted with the task of receiving complaints from relatives of missing Lebanese citizens.
"Asking the Syrian authorities about their whereabouts could be useful either because their relatives and families are convinced that they are in Syria or in light of testimonies by witnesses and inmates," the report said.
Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem said on Monday families of Lebanese citizens missing in Syria had waited for 30 years and can "wait for a few weeks more."
Muallem”s remark to reporters at the Republican Palace of Baabda gave hope to families of the missing Lebanese citizens that their decades-long ordeal could soon come to an end.
President Michel Suleiman, who is to visit Syria soon, has pledged to follow up the issue.