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| By Hasan Lakkis- �BEIRUT: Telecommunications Minister Nicholas Sehnaoui, currently at the center of a heated controversy for refusing to provide security services with telephone communications information, said Monday he would bring up the issue of telecoms data at Tuesday?s Cabinet session so that the government can decide on the matter, according to sources close to the minister.�The sources said that Sehnaoui will adhere to the government?s decision and will not discuss this issue with any other minister before knowing the Cabinet?s upcoming plans.�Recent leaks of an alleged plot to assassinate a high-level security official, possibly head of the Internal Security Forces? Information Branch, Brig. Gen. Wissam al-Hasan, have highlighted the issue of so-called ?telecoms data,? which enables the tracking of telephone communications.�According to the sources, Sehnaoui will brief the Cabinet on a Jan. 17 meeting of the Parliamentary Telecommunications Committee, which was attended by Interior Minister Marwan Charbel, and details of the reports on an alleged plot to assassinate high-ranking security officials.�The Telecommunications Ministry will request that the Cabinet make the decision on whether to hand over all telecoms data or to implement the law, which does not allow for all the records to be taken, allowing only complete data records to be given in the case of a state of emergency. The law also says that the ministry?s role in operating the wiretapping control center would end in this case when the Interior Ministry directly takes over.�Sehnaoui will also inform the Cabinet that the wiretapping center, which was supposed to provide security bodies all information they need, still requires modern upgrades that will take seven months. Implementing the upgrade also requires the approval of relevant authorities.�Security bodies, including the Internal Security Forces? Information Branch, Army Intelligence and General Security, used to acquire all the data from the ministry with the approval of Sehnaoui. This data includes the location of a caller and his movements.�But according to parliamentary sources, in the Jan. 17 meetings some MPs, along with Charbel, raised the issue of freedom of the Lebanese and protection of their privacy.�It was agreed in that meeting to organize the process of acquiring the telecoms data of Lebanese across the country according to the law, which requires limiting data collection based on the level of security threat.�Under the law, a mechanism requires that the requests accompanying the necessary judicial permission go to the wiretapping center, which was inaugurated last year by Charbel in the presence of Sehnaoui and Prime Minister Najib Mikati. The center includes representatives of all security bodies in order to protect citizens from privacy violations.�Charbel gave support during the committee meeting to adopting a mechanism, which has meant that Sehnaoui is no longer responding to the daily requests of security bodies for data.�Last Saturday, Charbel called Sehnaoui asking him to let the Information Branch handle the data following a specific report on an alleged plot to assassinate security officials.�Sehnaoui responded positively to Charbel?s request and handed the Information Branch all telecoms records for one day, Jan. 27. The data was delivered on a disk sealed in red wax from the telecoms companies to the Prosecution General, on to the office of the prime minister and then to Sehnaoui who gave it to Charbel so that he could deliver it to the Information Branch.�Security sources said that wiretapping of Lebanese is not a complicated process and can be accomplished with a $50,000 device placed near a transmitter station. The device can collect data on all calls made through the station, leading to widespread suspicions that illegal wiretapping is taking place in the country. The data on the disk does not include the content of telephone calls, only who is calling, who is receiving, and the location of both.�Meanwhile, Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblatt criticized Sehnaoui for refusing to provide security agencies with telecoms data.�?Is it reasonable to be lax about delivering the data required from the Telecoms Ministry at a time when big questions are raised over plots to assassinate leaders and figures with the aim of undermining Lebanon?s stability at an extremely sensitive time in the region?? Jumblatt asked in an article to be published in the PSP?s weekly newspaper Al-Anbaa Tuesday. He urged all official and ?probably non-official security agencies? ? a clear reference to Hezbollah?s security apparatus ? to cooperate when they receive any information linked to ?suspicious security plans? in or ... Source: http://www.tayyar.org/Tayyar/News/PoliticalNews/en-US/sehnaoui-pb-734715570.htm Television Iran Neal Ardley Stan Collymore Liza Minnelli Peter Beardsley 
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