Mansour: Sadr’s Disappearance Will Be Addressed as Soon as Matters Return to Normal in Libya
Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour stated on Monday that the toppling of Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi’s rule will allow Lebanon to determine the fate of Imam Moussa al-Sadr and his companions who vanished on August 31, 1978.
The minister added: “Lebanon has never stopped searching for Sadr and his companions and now we have an opportunity to reveal their fate.”
“When matters return to normal in Libya, we will take the necessary measures with the concerned sides in Libya to reveal the truth,” Mansour stressed.
He made his statements before travelling to Qatar to attend the Arab peace initiative follow-up committee meeting.
Regarded by Lebanon's Shiites as a key spiritual guide, Sadr vanished, amid mysterious circumstances and was last seen in Libya where he was invited by Gadhafi.
At the time, Sadr was trying to negotiate an end to Lebanon's civil war (1975-1990), in which Palestinian factions were involved.
Gadhafi was believed to be shipping weapons to the Palestinians and other groups and Sadr, according to reports, was hoping to convince the Libyan despot to refrain from stoking the unrest in Lebanon.
But his visit to Tripoli along with two aides took a sour turn after he got into a heated argument with Gadhafi who ordered that the three men be "taken away," according to an indictment against the Libyan leader issued by Lebanese authorities.
Relations between Libya and Lebanon have been at a low point since the cleric's disappearance, which dealt a heavy blow to the Shiite community.
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