There has been a lot of talk in recent days about
the fate of Greek Orthodox bishop Boulos Yazigi and Syro-Orthodox bishop
Youhanna Ibrahim, the two prelates who were kidnapped some time ago in
the Syrian city of Aleppo.
The last to issue a statement was
the head of Lebanon’s secret services, the General Abbas Ibrahim, who
Lebanese television station LBC claims the two bishops are not only alive, there are even negotiations underway for their release.
This statement was probably in response to the
widespread discontent among Lebanese Christians, who hoped to see the
two prelates included in the agreement which led to the release of nine
Shiite pilgrims who disappeared in Syria in May 2012.
General Ibrahim
negotiated an exchange of prisoners with Qatar’s foreign affairs
minister.
The agreement ensured the release of two Turkish pilots who
were abducted by Shiite militia in Lebanon.
Another factor which led to the Lebanese pilgrim
affair and the Aleppo bishop kidnapping was the fact that some witnesses
said they had seen both groups of hostages in the vicinity of Aaazaz a
city north of Aleppo, just a short distance from the Turkish border.
The
excitement died down however when, immediately after the release of the
Shiites, the Lebanese secret service sources told Lebanese newspaper L'Orient-Le Jour that the two dossiers were not linked and that there was nothing to confirm the imminent release of the two prelates.
Before General Ibrahim’s statement yesterday, word
went round about a statement that was allegedly made by the Grand Mufti
of Syria, Ahmad Badreddin Hassoun, saying that the two bishops “are
alive and are currently in Turkey.”
This is according to a female
Russian Orthodox activist. “Chechen militants and Turkish secret
services linked to them” were said to be responsible for the kidnapping.
These statements should be seen in the context of
the delicate game of alliances that is being played in the Syrian
conflict. Particularly in the current phase of the conflict, when groups
are blaming each other for a potential failure of Geneva II (a proposed
United Nations-backed peace conference which could take place at the
end of November). Just a few days ago, the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate
claimed it had received no genuinely reliable information regarding the
fate of the two prelates.
The only thing that is certain, is that after a
long period of silence, the disappearance of the two bishops is turning
into a case of international political importance.
On his visit to Qatar
just a few days ago, the Marronite Patriarch, Bechara Rai, asked the
powerful Emir Khalifa al Thani to do all he could to ensure the release
of the two bishops and the Emir reassured him he would.
All this, while
Russia has been openly trying to champion itself as protector of Eastern
Christians.
And it sees the case of the two bishops as an important
test bench for this.