Lebanon and Libya have had tense relations under late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, as a result of the disappearance of the Shiite religious authority, Imam Musa al-Sadr, and two of his companions during an official visit to the Libyan capital Tripoli in late August 1978.
But recent tension between the two countries has culminated to breaking point, as Tripoli authorities hinted at the possibility of severing relations with Lebanon after Amal supporters took to the streets of Beirut, to protest Libya’s participation in the Arab Economic and Social Development Summit earlier this month.
Protesters removed Libyan flags placed along Beirut’s seaside avenue, as part of Arab League preparations to welcome countries attending the summit, and replaced them with their movement’s green flag.
In response, Libya’s Government of National Accord (GNA) announced it would boycott the summit, because Lebanon was unable to guarantee “the appropriate climate” for it, according to a statement by its foreign ministry.
Escalatory statements issued by Amal head Speaker Nabih Berri, in addition to street slogans that have long been used in wartime, raised fears of unannounced desires to destabilize the country under a religious and political pretext. A statement by the Supreme Islamic Shiite Council threatened to cut off roads if the government insisted on Libya’s participation in the summit.
For the protesters, there is sufficient justification to prevent the representation of Libya in the summit, mainly its continuous concealment of the truth about Sadr’s disappearance, as explained by Judge Hassan al-Shami, a member of the Lebanese follow-up committee on the disappearance case. The Lebanese committee accuses its Libyan counterpart of “prevarication and trying to manipulate the case to use it in financial deals.”
“This stalling led us to sign an MoU on March 1, 2014,” Shami said, noting that the Libyan side “recognized under this agreement that the kidnapping took place in Libya by Muammar Gaddafi and the elements of his regime, and that Sadr did not leave Tripoli to Rome, as claimed by the Gaddafi regime.”
“The memorandum included three main clauses: first, a joint investigation that will allow us to interview security detainees; second, a search in all Libyan prisons; and third, permanent communication and exchange of information,” the judge explained.
Shami stressed that the Libyans have failed to implement the deal.
“Because of this delay, I went to Libya in March 2016. I met some of the detainees who are close to Gaddafi and asked some questions, but I did not get enough answers. As soon as I returned from Tripoli, they cut off all contact with us,” he recounted.
The judge added that when Fayez al-Sarraj (head of the Libyan Government of National Accord) came to power, “he did not take any positive step toward” the issue.
He revealed that Libyan Foreign Minister Mohamed Eltaher Siala sent a warning letter to the Lebanese Embassy in Tripoli in response to Beirut’s repeated demands for clarifications on the case.
The dispute with Libya over Sadr’s disappearance did not stay confined to bilateral relations between the two countries. It triggered a political crisis in Lebanon, which began between President Michel Aoun and Berri; then between the speaker and Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri, who strongly criticized the actions of Amal movement supporters.
Berri was quick to respond. He said: “The regret, all of this regret, should not be for the absence of the Libyan delegation (from the economic summit in Beirut), but for the absence of the ‘Lebanese delegation’ in facing the great offense to Lebanon committed almost four decades ago,” in reference to Sadr’s disappearance.
But former Justice Minister Chakib Qortbawi stressed during a meeting with Asharq Al-Awsat that the Lebanese state “has done everything possible” to resolve the mystery of Sadr’s disappearance.
“It appointed a judicial and security committee to follow up on the case, and moved to Libya several times and met with Libyan officials, but the result was not as we all wished for,” he said.
Qortbawi sought to calm the tensions, saying Sadr’s disappearance shouldn’t turn into an internal Lebanese conflict.
He also asked: “Why do we hold the current Libyan authorities responsible for the tragedy? They are already overwhelmed with internal chaos.”
