Lebanese minister in Libya to unlock mystery of missing cleric

Tripoli (dpa) - Lebanese Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour Thursday met with Libyan officials for talks on the fate of a prominent Lebanese cleric who disappeared in Libya more than three decades ago.

"The case of Musa al-Sadr‘s disappearance is a priority for the Libyan government, which will endeavour to find the truth behind it," Libyan Foreign Minister Ashour bin Khyal was quoted as saying by the Libyan state news agency, during his meeting with Mansour in Tripoli.

The Iranian-born Lebanese cleric disappeared along with two companions during a visit to Libya in August 1978, according to Lebanese officials and media.

However, then Libyan leader Moamer Gaddafi‘s regime insisted that al-Sadr and his two aides had left the country on a flight to Rome, which was denied by Italy.

In 2003, Gaddafi cut off diplomatic relations with Lebanon in a dispute over the mysterious disappearances.

Following the overthrow of Gaddafi‘s regime in 2011, Iran and Lebanon appealed to Libya‘s new rulers to investigate the fate of the cleric.

"The disappearance of imam al-Sadr and his two companions is an important national and humanitarian issue for Lebanon," the Lebanese foreign minister said.

After a meeting with the chief of the ruling National Transitional Council, he said that the Libyan authorities had agreed to conduct "the necessary investigations to reach findings at the earliest possible time."

Mansour is the first Lebanese foreign minister to visit Libya in 33 years. dpa str cab raf ar Author: Christine Bro