The American newspaper "Washington Post" dedicated a report in its issue today to the details of the mediation being conducted by the Director General of the Lebanese General Security, Major General Abbas Ibrahim, to release six Americans who are detained or missing in Syria, led by journalist Austin Tice, who has been held in Syria since 2012. Major General Ibrahim revealed to the newspaper's reporters that the United States wants to help him secure the release of Americans in Syria. He stated that he met this week with officials from President Biden's administration to discuss ways he could assist in securing the release of the six Americans, including independent journalist Austin Tice, who had contributed written works to "Washington Post."
Major General Ibrahim received an invitation to the White House earlier this month to discuss the issue of the missing Americans just days after a meeting between President Biden and the parents of Austin Tice. He told the Washington Post regarding his meetings with American officials, "They want me to resume my efforts to resolve this issue," adding, "They want their people back; this is what they are aiming for."
On May 2, President Biden met with Austin Tice's parents, Mark and Debra, and "reiterated his commitment to pursue every available avenue to secure Tice's long-awaited return to his family," according to a statement issued then by White House spokesperson Jen Psaki. In response to a question from the American newspaper, Major General Ibrahim said he met with Debra Tice this week, indicating that it has been "a long time" since any reliable information about Austin Tice's fate emerged. The Major General remarked about Tice's mother, saying, "I want to tell everyone that she will never give up," adding, "I am by her side in this matter. We want to close this case; everyone is eager to achieve that."
In the same context, U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price confirmed on Wednesday that Major General Ibrahim met with the presidential special envoy for hostage affairs, Roger Carstens. Price said during a press briefing, "We will not comment on the details of those discussions except to reaffirm the fact that we have no priority beyond seeing the safe release of American citizens wrongfully detained or hostages anywhere in the world." Price commented on Austin Tice's case and Major General Ibrahim's mediation, saying, "We talked yesterday about Austin Tice, an American who has been separated from his family for nearly ten years, meaning he has spent a quarter of his life away from his family." He added, "He is always at the forefront of our concerns, as are the other Americans held in places such as Iran, Russia, Afghanistan, Venezuela, and elsewhere."
According to the Washington Post report, journalist Austin Tice disappeared "while attempting to leave the town of Darayya, which was under rebel control outside the Syrian capital, Damascus. Darayya was besieged by government forces at the time. Tice's family has repeatedly stated that they are confident he is alive." Syria has not openly acknowledged detaining Tice or other Americans, including Majd Kamelmaz, a psychologist who went missing in 2017, along with four other American citizens whose families prefer not to appear publicly.
The newspaper indicated that this week marks Major General Abbas Ibrahim's second visit to Washington in less than two years at the White House's request for assistance in locating missing Americans. His previous trip in October 2020 aimed to enhance negotiations with the Syrian government at the initiative of President Donald Trump to help secure the release of Americans.
Earlier in 2020, two senior American officials, including Carstens, visited Damascus for secret talks with the head of the Syrian intelligence agency regarding Tice's fate, marking the first official talks between the two countries since 2012.
During Ibrahim's visit in 2020, the Trump administration faced disagreements about the extent to which it could engage with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Another point of contention involved the administration's handling of Ibrahim, given his position in ongoing contact with "Hezbollah," a party that is part of the Lebanese government and which is classified by the U.S. as a terrorist organization.
In his conversation with the Washington Post, Major General Ibrahim dismissed these concerns, describing them as "political issues that should not hinder his work," and added, "We are talking about a humanitarian issue."
Major General Ibrahim has previously helped secure the release of American traveler Sam Goodwin, who was held at a Syrian government checkpoint in 2019, and Canadian citizen Christian Baxter, who illegally crossed into Syria from Lebanon. In 2014, Ibrahim oversaw the release of a group of nuns kidnapped by "Jabhat al-Nusra," a group linked to al-Qaeda.
Major General Ibrahim did not mention to the Washington Post who he would meet within the Syrian government, stating that it is better for his efforts to remain "in the shadows," pointing out, "When you are in the spotlight, it leads to messing things up."
For their part, individuals familiar with the negotiations indicated that Syria had previously insisted on the complete withdrawal of American forces from the country and lifting American sanctions as conditions for further discussions about the missing Americans. Ibrahim stated, "I am not sure what the Syrians want now."
