The visit of a Libyan delegation to Beirut this week marks an “important step” in the disappearance of Imam Musa Al Sadr, a prominent Lebanese Shiite cleric who went missing during a trip to Libya in 1978, a Lebanese judicial source told The National.
The two-day visit aimed to resume talks with Lebanese officials regarding a deal struck between the two countries in 2014, in which Libyan authorities committed to enhancing co-operation and facilitating access for Lebanese authorities to the case.
This includes the possibility for Lebanese judiciary to propose additional investigations as a party to the case opened in Libya.
“This is the first time in years that the Libyan side is showing serious signs of co-operation regarding Mr Al Sadr's case,” the source said.
The delegation, who met with Lebanon's Ministry of Justice and a judge leading a committee investigating Mr Al Sadr's disappearance, also addressed, as a separate issue, the case of late Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi's son, who has been detained in Lebanon for years without trial.
Mr Al Sadr, a charismatic and esteemed Shiite figure, was seen for most Lebanese as one of the few leaders who promoted inter-religious dialogue in the decade before Lebanon's devastating civil war.
The fate of the cleric, which remains unknown, has been a long-standing contentious issue between Libya and Lebanon. The 2014 deal between the two countries has remained dormant until now.
“None of the promises made in the agreement has been kept,” the judicial source said, emphasising that the last serious attempt to implement the deal, which dates back to March 2016, has not yet yielded any results.
Exchanges between the two judiciaries began to resume in 2023.
The judicial source said that the current talks were first steps to resume co-operation over the case.
“We have to wait for the application of the memorandum's clauses. This is to be continued,” the source added, without specifying what, if anything, has been officially agreed on so far.
In 1978, Mr Al Sadr along with an aide and a journalist flew to Libya to meet local officials. He was never seen again. Every year since his disappearance, the Amal Movement, which he founded, has organised mass protests as a tribute to the cleric's memory.
According to Qaddafi's version of events, Mr Al Sadr left for Italy but never arrived, while Lebanon accused him of being responsible for his disappearance.
Two 'separate' cases
The delegation and the Lebanese officials also discussed the fate of Hannibal Qaddafi, who has been held in Lebanon since 2015 after he was kidnapped by Lebanese militants demanding information about Mr Al Sadr.
He was then detained by Lebanese judiciary, which charged him of withholding information regarding the imam's disappearance.
“This is separate from Mr Al Sadr's case,” the source said, adding that this is not an “exchange", which would involve the release of Mr Qaddafi in exchange for the application of the deal.
In August, Libya’s judicial authorities formally requested that Lebanon release Mr Qaddafi due to his deteriorating health – he was admitted to hospital several times after he started a hunger strike to protest his eight-year detention.
This month, Human Rights Watch called for the release of Mr Qaddafi. The rights group said he was only two years old at the time of the imam's disappearance and held no senior position in Libya as an adult.
Mr Qaddafi's “apparent arbitrary detention on spurious charges after spending eight years in pretrial detention makes a mockery of Lebanon's already strained judicial system", Hanan Salah, HRW's associate Middle East and North Africa director, said in a statement.
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
Founders: Ines Mena, Claudia Ribas, Simona Agolini, Nourhan Hassan and Therese Hundt
Date started: January 2017, app launched November 2017
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Private/Retail/Leisure
Number of Employees: 18 employees, including full-time and flexible workers
Funding stage and size: Seed round completed Q4 2019 - $1m raised
Funders: Oman Technology Fund, 500 Startups, Vision Ventures, Seedstars, Mindshift Capital, Delta Partners Ventures, with support from the OQAL Angel Investor Network and UAE Business Angels
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
|
1.
|
United States
|
|
2.
|
China
|
|
3.
|
UAE
|
|
4.
|
Japan
|
|
5
|
Norway
|
|
6.
|
Canada
|
|
7.
|
Singapore
|
|
8.
|
Australia
|
|
9.
|
Saudi Arabia
|
|
10.
|
South Korea
|
The%20Little%20Mermaid%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Rob%20Marshall%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EHalle%20Bailey%2C%20Jonah%20Hauer-King%2C%20Melissa%20McCarthy%2C%20Javier%20Bardem%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2%2F5%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
Brief scores:
Juventus 3
Dybala 6', Bonucci 17', Ronaldo 63'
Frosinone 0
MATCH INFO
Liverpool v Manchester City, Sunday, 8.30pm UAE
The biog
Favourite hobby: I love to sing but I don’t get to sing as much nowadays sadly.
Favourite book: Anything by Sidney Sheldon.
Favourite movie: The Exorcist 2. It is a big thing in our family to sit around together and watch horror movies, I love watching them.
Favourite holiday destination: The favourite place I have been to is Florence, it is a beautiful city. My dream though has always been to visit Cyprus, I really want to go there.
Who is Allegra Stratton?
- Previously worked at The Guardian, BBC’s Newsnight programme and ITV News
- Took up a public relations role for Chancellor Rishi Sunak in April 2020
- In October 2020 she was hired to lead No 10’s planned daily televised press briefings
- The idea was later scrapped and she was appointed spokeswoman for Cop26
- Ms Stratton, 41, is married to James Forsyth, the political editor of The Spectator
- She has strong connections to the Conservative establishment
- Mr Sunak served as best man at her 2011 wedding to Mr Forsyth
Essentials
The flights
Etihad and Emirates fly direct from the UAE to Delhi from about Dh950 return including taxes.
The hotels
Double rooms at Tijara Fort-Palace cost from 6,670 rupees (Dh377), including breakfast.
Doubles at Fort Bishangarh cost from 29,030 rupees (Dh1,641), including breakfast. Doubles at Narendra Bhawan cost from 15,360 rupees (Dh869). Doubles at Chanoud Garh cost from 19,840 rupees (Dh1,122), full board. Doubles at Fort Begu cost from 10,000 rupees (Dh565), including breakfast.
The tours
Amar Grover travelled with Wild Frontiers. A tailor-made, nine-day itinerary via New Delhi, with one night in Tijara and two nights in each of the remaining properties, including car/driver, costs from £1,445 (Dh6,968) per person.
