The purpose of the planned few days of meetings, as Gadaffi advised Imam Sadr was "to resolve political differences." Musa Sadr was persuaded that meeting the Iranians would be useful so they could resolve growing problems and tensions that Khomeini's inner circle believed could potentially destroy their revolution. As well as undermine the establishment of a hoped for, but still unsure "Islamic Republic of Iran."
An international telephone conversation had taken place that morning from Gadaffi's office now widely thought to have been with Ayatollah Behesti in Tehran, over what to do with Imam Sadr and the Lebanese delegation. Gadaffi was instructed during the conversation by Behesti, according to a claimed CIA phone monitoring report, to prevent the Sadr delegation from leaving Libya "by all means necessary." This precise language, but not the CIA monitoring of the conversation, has also been claimed by Kai Bird in his book, "The Good Spy." Gadaffi was also advised during the phone call that Sadr was a "western agent" and a "threat to Ayatollah Khomeini." Those words were presumably chosen by an increasingly paranoid Behesti to justify Imam Sadr's death sentence.
As Beheshti repeated three times to Gadaffi during their phone conversation, there were to be no witnesses so Shiek Mohammad Yacoub and journalist Abbas Badreddine were also murdered. The CIA, M16, Iran, and Lebanon's Amal Movement, and Hezbollah among several others reportedly have access to the recording of the Gadaffi-Beshesti conversation. But for nearly forty years the hoax that the trio were seen alive in various prisons around Libya and might soon be coming home was foisted on the public. There is mounting pressure on the UK and US and other parties to release the recording of the Gadaffi-Beshesti conversation in order to reveal Iran's responsibility for the murders of the Shia leader Musa Sadr.
On arrival at Tripoli Airport the Sadr delegation was met by three officials including Libya's Foreign Minister Taha El Sheriff Ben Amer. After checking into the Peace Hotel in Tripoli the Musa delegation was immediately taken to Gadaffi's office for a meeting. The delegation was told that the Mohammad Beheshti delegation from Tehran was delayed but expected shortly. The Iranian delegation never arrived nor, as recent evidence confirms, it was never intended that it would.
According to claimed eyewitnesses, there was a short animated-perhaps even hostile-discussion between Imam Sadr and Libyan leader Gadaffi during their initial meeting. But heated exchanges were common with the volatile Gadaffi who usually soon calmed down according to his cousin Ahmed Gaddaf al-Dam and former Libyan intelligence chief Abdullah Senussi as well as Muammar Gadaffi's son Seif el Islam.
But the Imam's fate had already been sealed before his delegation returned to their hotel accommodations to wait for Ayatollah Behsheti.
Muammar Gadaffi's former personal aide, Colonial Ahmad Ramadan al-Asaibie, gave an interview to journalist Jenan Moussa which was released by the UAE-based television channel Al-Aan on 8 November 2011. Ramadan claims to have witnessed the arrival at Muammar Gaddafi's Headquarters of the Sadr delegation. Following the encounter, Colonel Gaddafi reportedly ordered that the Sadr delegation be taken to their hotel. They were escorted by Foreign Minister Taha El Sheriff Ben Amer ( who would soon be killed in a then mysterious, but now explained helicopter crash), intelligence chief General Abu Ghalia Fraj, and General Bashir Humeida, head of Gadaffi's "Presidential Administration."
After waiting at his hotel for three days for the promised Mohammad Behsesti meeting, Musa Sadr, known to be impatient, became suspicious after reportedly speaking with colleagues in Lebanon and decided to depart immediately for Beirut. His phone call had been monitored by Libyan Intelligence and when the Sadr delegation, arrived at Tripoli airport, they were confronted in the VIP lounge and asked to return to his hotel. But Imam Sadr refused.
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