Tenet Given Assurances that No al-Qa'ida Cells Infiltrated Lebanon

by Nicholas Nasif
Al-Nahar
November 28, 2002

[FBIS Translated Text] A security official has recently returned from
Washington after three days of meetings with CIA Director George Tenet
and his assistants for terrorism and Middle Eastern affairs. The talks
dealt with the security cooperation between Lebanon and the United States
within the framework of the US-led international campaign on terror.

The meeting was one in a series of periodic meetings held every one or
two years. The CIA holds such meetings with security officials in the
countries of the region, especially the Arab countries, in the context of
a cooperation program that started before 11 September 2001. But after
this date the program acquired extreme importance and turned into
organized work, with continuous exchange of information, and with the
objective becoming more specific: chasing al-Qa'ida Organization.

In the three days of meetings Tenet and his aides asked the Lebanese
security official a few questions that, most likely, were also put to
Syrian security authorities, which hold similar meetings with CIA
officials, and for the same purpose, but in Damascus.

The questions were:

1. Are there active al-Qa'ida cells or cells for other extremist
fundamentalist organizations like "Usbat al-Ansar" in Lebanon?

2. Were there any attempts by al-Qa'ida members to flee to Lebanon from
Afghanistan? The US intelligence monitored attempts by al-Qa'ida members
to find safe places in many countries in the world to rebuild their
cells.

3. Is Lebanon watching closely the al-Qa'ida cells operating in Lebanon?

4. The US security officials also inquired about a number of people whom
the CIA classifies as "international terrorists". These are wanted people
and they do not number more than five. The Americans wanted to know if
these people might be living in or frequenting Ayn al-Hulwah camp in
Lebanon.

In the meetings Tenet and his aides also inquired about the security
situation on the Blue Line on the border between Lebanon and Israel.

The answers given by the Lebanese security official were as follows:

1. As for al-Qa'ida Organization, we uncover secret cells from time to
time. The latest was the cell that the Lebanese intelligence uncovered in
October. The cell was made up of two Lebanese and a Saudi national. The
three were arrested and referred to the Public Prosecution.

2. Members and activities of Usbat al-Ansar are under observation through
strict military measures the Lebanese Army is taking around Ayn al-Hulwah
camp in Sidon, the stronghold of this group. The Lebanese intelligence is
also intensifying its effort to gather information about the group from
inside and outside the camp to prevent it from carrying out any
subversive acts in the country. Ayn al-Hulwah camp is almost the only
point of security weakness in Lebanon. Extremist groups fled to the camp
to hide from the Lebanese authorities, especially from the judiciary.
They sought refuge in the camp because they know the Army would not enter
it for reasons linked to the conflict with Israel and the desire not to
take any step that would encourage settling the Palestinians in Lebanon
and depriving them of the right to return to their country.

Unlike what happened in the meeting that was held two years earlier,
Tenet and his assistants did not ask why the Lebanese Army does not enter
the camp.

3. The Lebanese security services have information that al-Qa'ida members
might try to sneak into Lebanon from Afghanistan with a view to hiding
and rebuilding terrorist cells. Lebanon is cooperating in this respect
with the American and European intelligence agencies, which regularly
provide Beirut with information about the possibility of such
infiltration, and sometimes with names of potential infiltrators so that
they can be pursued. This cooperation is part of Lebanon's effort within
the international campaign against terrorism and particularly against
al-Qa'ida Organization.

Tenet's answer was that the American intelligence is pursuing these
people with keen interest, that it will not allow them to rest or settle
anywhere, and that it will prevent, by force, any attempt to reorganize
the cells of this extremist organization. Tenet also appeared interested
in showing his country's concern over the relationship and cooperation
between al-Qa'ida and Usbat al-Ansar. This cooperation, he said,
threatens Western interests and stability worldwide.

4. In all the measures it takes and the arrangements in makes Lebanon
coordinates with the Syrian intelligence.

5. Lebanon is committed to security and stability on the Blue Line, which
extends from Al-Naqurah in the west to Al-Wazzani river in the east.
Stability along this line is guaranteed by the government, Hizballah, and
the inhabitants. The UN force offers support and information in this
regard. There is a collective responsibility to prevent any attempt by
Palestinian groups or any other extremist groups to infiltrate the Blue
Line or commit violations that would create chaos and trouble in the
region. But Shab'a Farms are not part of this line because they are
Lebanese lands occupied by Israel. Lebanon reserves the right to
resistance against the occupation in the farms with a view to liberating
them, which is a legitimate right.

Tenet and his aides asked if Hizballah coordinates his attacks on the
Israeli army in the Shab'a Farms with any quarter. He was referring to
the support that the Lebanese Government and Syria provide for these
attacks. The Lebanese security official replied that Hizballah is so
politically mature that it can decide on its own the time and type of its
attacks on the Israeli army.

The US intelligence officials did not discuss Hizballah's connection with
international terrorism. Nor did they describe the party as a terrorist
organization, as it is traditionally described by the US Administration.
They only asked about the party's activities in the Shab'a Farms.

As a result of the discussions, Tenet and his aides expressed
satisfaction with stability in Lebanon and with the cooperation of the
Lebanese security services with the CIA station in the American Embassy
in Beirut. This is a constant and accurate cooperation in the fight
against terrorism. The Lebanese authorities deal seriously with the
information they receive from the CIA station, and they regularly supply
the station with information within the anti-terror plan.

Tenet said the CIA is ready to meet the needs of the Lebanese security
agencies in terms of technology, expertise, and training within the fight
against terrorism.

While discussing this cooperation, Tenet did not hesitate to praise the
role that the Syrian intelligence is playing through cooperation with the
CIA and the pursuit of terrorists. He told the Lebanese security official
that one of his aides, namely the chief of the counter-terrorism bureau,
will visit Damascus soon to thank the Syrian authorities for the full
support and assistance they are offering within the international
anti-terror campaign, especially with regard to the pursuit of al-Qa'ida
and the gathering of information about the organization. This reflects
the stability of and clear improvement in the US-Syrian relations, at
least on the level of security cooperation.



[Description of Source: Beirut Al-Nahar (Internet Version-WWW) in Arabic
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