The US Embassy declined to comment, but Aridi said there had been no contact with the embassy on the issue. Little information was known about the conference, which was scheduled to be held from March 31 to April 3. Participants would only be told the location of the conference by contacting a number given to them upon arrival at Beirut International Airport. It's a clear Israeli ploy to ruin the country's reputation. However, Weber denied insinuations that the conference was a plot against Lebanon.
Nobody wants to embarrass Lebanon.
We've put enormous effort into this. Hizbullah denied reports that it is involved. He also said he did not know who in the country might be cooperating in its organization. Raad said he hoped that the government's decision to ban the conference was not due to US interference. There have been mixed reactions in both Arab and Israeli communities to the conference.