Independence Movement leader Michel Moawad said Monday he had skipped the meeting that brought together members of the March 14 coalition in downtown Beirut because he was abroad.

Moawad denied rumors that he boycotted the meeting for political reasons, arguing that he had dispatched envoys to represent the Independence Movement at the gathering.

“Moawad was the first to issue a statement on Saturday, Feb. 20 that reflects the same positions assumed by the March 14 alliance concerning Lebanon’s foreign policy and its relations with Gulf countries and Saudi Arabia,” read a statement released by Moawad’s press office.