Lebanese Parliament speaker, Nabih Berri, has rejected speculations that Imam Musa Sadr, aprominent Shia clericwho went missing with two companions nearly 40 years ago in Libya, is dead, saying there is still no evidence proving the death.
"Do not try me in the imams case, not now and not later. Our stance will remain the same, the imams case is our top priority,"said Berri while addressing thousands of supporters of the Amal Movement, thepolitical partywhich he leads.
The top Lebanese legislator said Lebanon still holds Muammar Gaddafi, Libya'sdeposed dictator who was killed in 2011,responsible for the fate of Sadr, saying the respected Shia cleric, who founded the Amal Movementin 1974, was subject to "the worst type of abduction history has known at the hands of Gaddafi."
He called on the Lebanese government to give the issue more attention, saying investigationinto the case wasongoing and that a Lebanese team had visited Libya in February to receive further information on the mysterious issue.
Berri hailed Sadrs efforts for creating unity in the Arab world, saying he saw unity as a solution to the lurking strife emerging among theArab nations at the time.
Imam Musa Sadr was a highlyrevered Shia cleric from Iran who came to Lebanon in 1959 to work for the rights of Shias in Tyre, a southern port where Berriheld his speech Wednesday. The gathering was meant to commemorate 38 years since Sadr, his companion, Sheikh Mohammad Yaacoub, and journalist Abbas Badreddine went missing during a trip to Libya.
Since Gaddafi was deposed in 2011,Lebanon and Iran have repeatedly called on the Libyangovernmentto probe Sadr's kidnapping and the related issues.Hannibal Gaddafi, the son of the Libyan dictator, is currently in custody in Lebanon, facing charges of hiding information regarding Sadrs case.