Report: LF, FPM at Loggerheads over Information Leaks

The Lebanese Forces and Free Patriotic Movement are still in an open conflict over many internal issues the most recent was over leaking of minutes of meeting between Lebanese officials and Marshall Billingslea, assistant secretary for terrorist financing in the United States Department of the Treasury, al-Joumhouria daily reported on Thursday.

The MOM between Deputy Prime Minister Ghassan Hasbani and Economy Minister Mansour Btesih with Billingslea in Washington were leaked twice in the last week.

Although FPM chief and Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil has requested opening an internal investigation into the incident, LF sources said the move came “belated.”

“There is a double trouble here regarding this leak. There was a first leak and a second one yesterday. Despite that the Foreign Ministry did not launch investigations or issue an apology or a condemnation. This should have been issued personally by Minister Bassil,” LF sources told the newspaper.

“This is damaging to the image of Lebanon, to its credibility, to its diplomacy, to the confidence of the international community, and to its relations with foreign countries,” they added, noting “we will question the government and foreign ministry, we won’t ignore this file.”

The sources concluded, "It is very unfortunate that some embassies have become a place for the leak of records. What happened is shameful, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs must bear the responsibility and show the truth.”