The ministry, through the help of a technical committee, is preparing to study the US request to access information on cell towers in Lebanon, said Telecommunications Minister Charbel Nahhas during an interview with NBN television on Saturday.

This comes after As-Safir reported on April 1, 2009 that the US Embassy in Lebanon requested information from the Internal Security Forces (ISF) on communications in Lebanon, including cellular network stations and their locations. However, the Interior Ministry said last week the US request was solely transferred to the Telecommunications Ministry.

“Providing the US with information on our telecommunications situation gives Israel or any other country access to key data,” he added. 

According to Nahhas, the US request has been linked to US training operations with ISF members. Prime Minister Fouad Siniora’s cabinet reportedly signed an agreement with Washington to supply long-term training and equipment to the army and ISF when the parliament was shut down from December 2006 until May 2008.

Reports state that declining the request led to stopping the training operations, added Nahhas.     

He also said that such a request was unconventional.  

-NOW Lebanon