Libya withdrew consent to convene the Arab summit in Beirut

The Lebanese paper " al-Kifah al-Arabi" said in its Saturday issue that the secretariat of the Libyan African unity has informed the secretary general of the Arab league officially to draw back its consent to convene the next Arab summit in Beirut and asked for holding it in another Arab country.

The paper said that Lebanon was notified by the Libyan stand in a telephone call made by the secretary of the African unity Ali Abdul Salaam al-Turieki with the Lebanese prime minister rafiq al-Hariri and with the Lebanese foreign minister Mahmoud Hammoud on January 3rd.

The paper indicated that al-Hariri asked al-Tureiki in his own name and in the name of the Lebanese President that Libya to give up this decision, but al-Tureiki informed al-Hariri his country's cling to transfer the summit from Lebanon, noting Libya's worries over dealing with Libya's participation in the summit in an unaccepted provocative way.

The paper noted that the AL secretariat made attempts towards Tripoli to change its position but was intercepted by the Libyan deliberate rejection.

The paper ruled out quoting Lebanese sources that Lebanese sides concerned to carry out steps to settle the new crisis with Libya and this will be made in co-ordination with Syria whose President Bashar al-Assad is linked to strong relations with the Libya President Mu'ammar al- Qaddafi.

Meantime, the speaker of the Lebanese parliament Nabih Berri said that there is a circulation inside the Lebanese Amal movement which he ( Berri) is heading not to criticize Libya so that this will be explained that:" we refuse al-Qaddafi's coming to Lebanon and hold us responsible for not convening the summit in Beirut." Berri told the paper he had informed Amre Mousa, the secretary general of the Arab League that his opposition not to convene the summit in Beirut is built on his conviction that it will not be useful following the developments took place in the Palestinian territories.