Arab League Deputy Chief Calls Libya's Beirut Summit Boycott Regretful

ST. PETERSBURG (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 18th January, 2019) Arab League's Assistant Secretary-General Hossam Zaki told Sputnik on Thursday that the Libyan decision to boycott this weekend's Arab economic summit in Beirut was "regretful" noting that this would not affect the summit's agenda.

Libya's Government of National Accord (GNA) announced on Monday that it decided to boycott the Beirut meeting after the Lebanese government had failed to prevent desecration of Libya's flag in Beirut.

"This decision is regretful but it won't affect our work or the summit's agenda," Zaki said.

Lebanon will host the next Economic Arab Forum on January 19-20. A number of Lebanese activists had expressed their protest against the Libyan delegation's participation in the forum. Arab media outlets issued photos showing demonstrators desecrating the Libyan flag near the venue that will host the summit.

The Libyan-Lebanese relations remain tense over the disappearance of Lebanese Shia imam Musa Sadr in the northern African country in 1978. Then Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi had been repeatedly accused of being behind the disappearance of Sadr.