Arabs Step Up Mediation in Effort to Quell Lebanon-Libya Crisis
Arab governments have reportedly stepped up efforts to quell a crisis between Lebanon and Libya over Lebanon's representation at the Arab summit.
Al-Liwaa newspaper on Tuesday said Arab League chief Amr Moussa will visit Beirut on Wednesday in a bid to help resolve the crisis.Citing Arab diplomatic sources, al-Liwaa said Moussa is likely to shuttle between Beirut and Damascus in an effort to ensure "adequate" Lebanese participation in the Arab summit scheduled to be held in Tripoli, Libya end of March.
Lebanon has rejected "for administrative reasons" Libya's invitation to the upcoming Arab summit, the foreign ministry said on Monday.
"The invitation was received by the Lebanese embassy in Damascus, which is not authorized to receive and respond to this invitation for administrative reasons," the ministry said in a statement.
President Michel Suleiman will not attend the summit following demands by the Shiite community to boycott the meeting.
