BEIRUT, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- Caretaker Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil Monday expressed his regrets that Libya will not participate in the Beirut summit in a letter sent to his Libyan counterpart, the National News Agency (NNA) reported.
"I also want to express my rejection and refusal for the actions that were taken in Lebanon against Libya's participation in Beirut's summit. These actions do not reflect my position or the position of Lebanon," said Bassil in his letter to Mohamed Siala.
Siala Sunday said that his country's delegation will not participate in the summit due to Lebanese authorities in Beirut's airport preventing Libyan businessmen from entering and to protest offending of the Libyan flag, according to the NNA.
Lebanon's Amal Movement announced few days ago that the Libyan delegation will be forbidden from entering Lebanon to attend the Arab Economic and Social Development Summit scheduled for later this month.
The Amal Movement also announced a plan to launch nationwide protests to close the airport ahead of the Beirut summit in a bid to prevent the Libyan delegation from taking part in the event.
Moreover, Amal supporters Sunday took down Libyan flags from outside Beirut's Biel Center, where the summit is expected to be held, and replaced them with their own to protest against Libya's participation in the summit.
Lebanon has been accusing Libya of being responsible for the disappearance of Musa al-Sadr, the most prominent and charismatic Shiite voice in the decade before the outbreak of the Lebanese civil war in 1975.
Al-Sadr disappeared alongside Sheikh Muhammad Yaacoub and the journalist Abbas Badreddine during an official visit to Libya in August 1978.
In his letter, Bassil expressed his keenness to maintain good diplomatic ties between the two countries. However, he added that Lebanon insists on receiving information about the fate of Musa al-Sadr and his friends.
