BBC News:阿拉伯国家呼吁沙特接受安理会的席位
Nine Lebanese citizens who were abducted by rebelsin Syria last year have arrived back in Beirut afterbeing freed. Their release is part of a complex swapinvolving the freeing of two Turkish pilots who werekidnapped in Lebanon in August in apparent retaliation. The pilots returned to Istanbul tonightand were welcomed by the Prime Minister. Jim Muir reports from Beirut.
There were scene joyful chaos at Beirut airport as the nine hostages arrived to be reunited withfamily members and friends whose hopes has been raised and dashed by many forces of alarmsover the past seventeen months. This was the culmination of a long and extremely complicatedsettle mediation efforts in which Qatar, Turkey and Palestinian authority all played a part. Afterbeing taken overland into Turkey from northern Syria, the freed hostages were flown to Beirutby a Qatari jet while another was flying the two kidnapped Turkish pilots who from Beirut in theopposite direction.
The United Nations has called for a ceasefire in a suburb of Syrian capital Damascus to allowfood and medical supplies to be delivered. The UN said that although thousands of people wereevacuated last week from the suburb of Moadamiyah, thousands more were still trapped. Here'sNick Bryant.
It's been months since they've received any form of an outside aid, not even bread and flowerhas been allowed in frozen 90 days, and local doctors have expressed grave concerns about themalnourishment of children especially those under the age of two. There has been reports ofpeople have been forced to eat dog meat. The UN humanitarian chief Valerie Amos said she wasextremely worried about the situation unfolding there and across Syria, and stressed civiliansmust be allowed to move to safer areas without fear of attack.
Arab states have called on Saudi Arabia to take up its places on the United Nations SecurityCouncil a day after the kingdom announced it was rejecting the non-permanent seat. SaudiArabia had accused the world body of double standards and expressed disappointment at itsfailure to act in Syria.
