National security comes into focus in Lebanon as the US embassy in Beirut seeks information no foreign entity should have, reports Omayma Abdel-Latif On 4 January 2010, US Ambassador to Lebanon Michele J Sison met with Lebanese Minister of Telecommunications Charbel Nahas. Their discussion focussed on Lebanon's telecom sector, particularly the potential for the privatisation of telecommunications in Lebanon. Sison said that both the US government and the US private sector offered their support to Lebanon in addressing these important priorities. She also expressed the US government's "desire to assist the government of Lebanon to achieve its many objectives and guarantee the security of [its] people". This week, Sison's efforts to win a piece of Lebanon's telecommunications cake must have been dealt a death blow following what has now been dubbed a "scandal". On 26 February, the daily As-Safir newspaper reported that the American embassy in Beirut submitted a letter to the office of the forensic investigation chief in the Internal Security Forces (ISF) headquarters on 1 April 2009 wherein the embassy reportedly requested that the ISF supply information on cellular network stations and their geographical locations, in addition to technical details pertaining to communication systems. As-Safir said that one of the two stations refused to supply the requested information unless requested by then telecommunications minister Gebran Bassil to do so. Bassil refused the request on national security grounds. The episode, coming to light now, triggered heated debate in Lebanon, particularly as it coincided with the exposure of additional Israeli espionage networks in Lebanon. One Israeli agent arrested, named Michael Abdu, admitted to being involved in the assassination of Ghaleb Awali, a Hizbullah official in charge of the Palestinian file, in 2003. A high-ranking Lebanese officer explained to As-Safir the significance of the American request: "It meant that the US could have the capacity to eavesdrop on cell phone calls, hamper calls, jam phone signals at a given location and locate any cellular phone." The US embassy remained silent on the As-Safir report. Responding to the story, the Interior Ministry issued a statement on Friday, 27 February, insisting that it would not process requests that infringe Lebanon's sovereignty or security. According to the ministry statement, the request mentioned in As-Safir did not concern phone tapping, but was rather part of a projected US embassy special training programme. The request, explained the statement, came from the US Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs. The bureau assists in the training of security forces in Lebanon. The Interior Ministry said that it transferred the request on 29 April 2009 to the Telecommunications Ministry. Bassil, now energy minister, confirmed that he turned down the request. "They had requested access to very detailed information on mobile phone service providers in Lebanon -- the stations, antennas and technical information," Bassil explained. "No one should request this information, whoever they are and for whatever end." The affair promoted Hizbullah Secretary- General Hassan Nasrallah to warn the Lebanese government against "sharing telecommunications information with the United States", adding that such a step would be tantamount to collaborating with the Israeli enemy. Nasrallah pointed out in a speech on Monday, 1 March, that: "Because of the strategic relationship and unity between the United States and Israel... any information gathered through such requests, like spy rings, reaches Israelis. In other words, it is giving Israel information by proxy on a silver platter, and we hope there are no Lebanese citizens collaborating with the US embassy in the matter." From Hizbullah's perspective, Israel will never end its "intelligence war" against Lebanon and especially the resistance movement. But the US is a partner in this war too. "What was reported concerning US espionage cells tapping Lebanese phone lines confirms Washington's violation of Lebanese sovereignty," said Sheikh Nabil Qaouk, Hizbullah representative in South Lebanon. Qaouk went as far as to suggest that, "the American CIA and the Israeli Mossad have the same objectives." "The Lebanese government," he added, "should no longer disregard US violations of Lebanon's security. The Lebanese know how to differentiate between friendly states and those that are Israeli accomplices."
