Prime Minister Tammam Salam on Tuesday confirmed that Lebanon would not yield to the blackmailing exerted by the kidnappers of the Lebanese soldiers

Prime Minister Tammam Salam on Tuesday confirmed that Lebanon would not yield to the blackmailing exerted by the kidnappers of the Lebanese soldiers, noting that the government has asked during the indirect negotiations to have the cease of killing operations as the mainstay to further talks.

He told an interview with al-Arabiya that he would be tackling the ordeal of the military hostages with Turkish President Recep Tayyep Erdogan. The pair is scheduled to meet on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.

He held out hope that the Turkish had become able to offer help in that respect.

Underscoring the importance of the efforts exerted by Qatar, Salam called upon the Lebanese to immunize their unity in order to shirk strife terrorists were seeking to sow in Lebanon.

"The President of Egypt expressed his will to help Lebanon, because he realizes the danger of terrorism that is spreading in the region," he said.

He accentuated full confidence in the army. "It is a national army that comprises all the Lebanese components and that is carrying out its mission competently," he indicated.

"We are standing behind the army," he concluded.