Syrian ambassador denies reports that embassy involved in kidnapping of Syrian opposition members in Beirut

Syrian ambassador to Lebanon Ali Abdul Karim Ali denied on Friday reports that his embassy was involved in the kidnapping of Syrian opposition members who have gone missing in Lebanon, calling such accusations "unfounded".

Speaking to reporters following a meeting with Lebanese Foreign Minister Adnan Manssour, Ambassador Ali found strange the unfounded claims that have been attributed to the Internal Security Chief Ashraf Rifi. He said such accusations affect coordination between the two countries as concerns security issues.

Rifi was earlier quoted as saying on Monday that the ISF collected "dangerous information" linking the Syrian Embassy to the disappearance of Shebli al- Aisamy, a co-founder of Syria's ruling Baath party who fled his native country in 1966 over political differences. He was last seen in May in the eastern Lebanese region of Aley.

The Syrian ambassador, meanwhile, accused some Lebanese officials and MPs of seeking to undermine his country. He said the performance of some officials against Syria requires reconsideration.

For his part, Mansour also noted that Lebanese police in recent weeks had arrested several traffickers sending weapons to Syria. "All these issues need to be dealt with so that they don't affect security in Lebanon or Syria," he said.