The Lebanese government's delegation to the Democratic Republic of Congo left for Germany Sunday after four days of unsuccessful negotiations with the Congolese government and without the bodies of 11 murdered Lebanese, reported the Daily Star newspaper.
Several thousand people protested in south Lebanon over the weekend demanding diplomatic action at the highest level.
Senior officials said they intended to press for the immediate repatriation of the bodies, as well as for stepping up the investigation and obtaining compensation from the Congolese government, said the paper.
President Emile Lahoud assured that the state considers the case of utmost importance.
Congo's Foreign Minister Leonard She Okitundu said on Congolese state television Sunday that his country wanted to repair its relationship with Lebanon, but that it would not be held responsible for the deaths, reported AFP.
Okitundu said he wanted "full clarification" of what happened to the Lebanese and that the state was investigating. However, he insisted that the investigation needed time.
According to the Daily Star, the facts of the case remain obscure and contradictory.
Nothing has been clarified regarding the circumstances of the murders or concerning the speculative involvement of the 11 Lebanese in the assassination of Congolese President Laurent Kabila.
Even the number of those dead is under dispute, varying between 10-12, said the paper.
Meanwhile, AFP said that authorities in Congo have insisted on finishing their investigation before handing back the bodies.
The head of the Lebanese community in Congo, Abdel-Sattar Ashour, said Saturday that the delegation would contact Lebanon's ambassadors to Germany and England "to communicate Lebanon's point of view to the president of Congo," said the Daily Star – Albawaba.com
© 2001 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
