Turkish envoy: Lebanese hostages not in Turkey

Turkish Ambassador to Lebanon Inan Ozyildiz reiterated during talks with a delegation of the families of 11 Lebanese men kidnapped in Syria two months ago that the hostages are not in Turkey. A source at the embassy in Rabieh, north of Beirut, said Ozyildiz stressed that Ankara was making efforts to secure their release. The source said the families expressed their hope that their loved ones would be released before Ramadan. The Muslim holy month of Ramadan is expected to begin on or around July 20. On Monday the delegation met with Speaker Nabih Berri, who promised he would follow up on the issue until the hostages are released. The families said after meeting Berri in Ain al-Tineh that they would give diplomatic efforts a chance but warned that patience has its limits. A crowd of about 26 men and women had demonstrated outside the Speaker’s house before being allowed in for talks. The 11 Shiite men were abducted in Syria May 22 on their way back to Lebanon from a pilgrimage to Iran. A previously unknown group calling itself "Syrian Rebels in Aleppo" claimed responsibility, saying five of the hostages were members of the Lebanese Hezbollah group. Hezbollah and the hostages' families deny the claim. The Syrian rebel group demanded that Hezbollah leader Sheikh Hasan Nasrallah apologize for comments he made in support of Syrian President Bashar Assad. Nasrallah, an ally of Syria's regime, has said the kidnapping will not change his group's stance.