Telecom Data back to Forefront as Sehnaoui, Intelligence Bureau Bicker over Matter
The cabinet is expected to tackle during its session on Tuesday the controversial request by the security agencies to obtain the text messages (sms) among the Lebanese, while Telecommunications Minister Nicolas Sehnaoui insisted on rejecting the issue, media reports said.
Ministerial sources ruled out in comments published in An Nahar newspaper that the matter would be discussed during the session held at the Grand Serail from out of the cabinet's agenda, expecting it to be tackled during another upcoming session.
Security sources justified the demands of the Internal Security Forces Intelligence Bureau, saying that the purpose behind it is to reveal those who were behind the assassination of Internal Security Forces Intelligence Bureau Chief Brig. Gen. Wissam al-Hassan, who was killed on October 19 in a car bombing in the Ashrafieh district of Beirut.
“Not handing over the complete data would be considered as covering up for the murderer... Officials will be held responsible for that,” the source told the newspaper.
A security source told al-Liwaa daily that the assassins used text messages to communicate ahead of the murder of al-Hasan.
The source wondered if the privacy of the citizens is more important than safeguarding their lives.
Media reports said on Monday that the security agencies filed a request to obtain all the circulating text messages between the Lebanese that occurred two months before the assassination of al-Hasan.
The security agencies also extended their request to acquire the facebook and several internet passwords that the Lebanese use, under the pretext of “national security.”
However, the judicial authority, which is tasked with assessing the possibility of providing the security forces with the data, rejected the request submitted by the security agency.
The three-member authority stressed that the request clearly violates the constitution and law 140, which specifies the protection of communications data.
A high-ranking security source held Minister Sehnaoui responsible for the repercussions of not responding to the Intelligence Bureau's request.
“We have demanded the text messages that occurred across Lebanon two months before the assassination of al-Hasan but when our demand was faced with rejection we modified the request and demanded the circulating text messages in Beirut and Mount Lebanon,” the source told As Safir.
The source lashed out at Sehnaoui, saying “if they don't trust us they should someone else to do our job.”
The minister said on Monday that he referred the request to the cabinet's general secretariat along with his recommendation to “reject” it.
He told As Safir published on Tuesday that he can't approve such a move.
Meanwhile, al-Akhbar newspaper reported that the cabinet is expected to tackle the case of al-Mustaqbal MP Oqab Saqr, who admitted to carrying out a weapons delivery deal with the Syrian opposition.
The report said that several ministers will suggest lifting the parliamentary immunity off the MP.
The newspaper unveiled last week a taped conversation between Saqr and Abou Nehman, a “leader in the armed Syrian opposition”, who were carrying out an arms deal.
Abou Nehman requested 300 RPGs, 250,000 Russian bullets and 300 guns among other things to be delivered to Aazaz, Tal Refaat and Aleppo's countryside.
The two men then agree to, “as usual,” hand the weapons to Syrian opposition members that go by the names of Abou Baraa and Abou al-Nour.
| Copyright © 2012 Naharnet.com. All Rights Reserved. | https://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/63231 |