New Telecom Data Mechanism Adopted as National Dialogue Session’s Fate Remains Obscure

President Michel Suleiman is exerting efforts to guarantee that the March 14 alliance would attend the upcoming national dialogue session at the Baabda Palace on July 24, as authorities adopted a new mechanism to provide the security agencies with the required telecom data.

According to An Nahar newspaper published on Sunday, Suleiman agreed with top security and judicial leaders and the concerned ministers in the presence of Prime Minister Najib Miqati, during a meeting at the Baabda Palace on Saturday, to provide the security agencies with the required telecom data without any obstruction.

The March 14 alliance announced on Thursday three preconditions to take part in any upcoming dialogue session including : “Handing over the complete telecom data, including the IMSI, to the security agencies; abiding by the Lebanese Constitution which underlines the exclusive authority of the state over arms; and lifting the political and factional cover off the suspects.”

An Nahar newspaper said that the mechanism that the gatherers at the Baabda Palace agreed on includes providing the security agencies with the telecom data and a certain formula on the handing over a unique code used to identify an individual user on a GSM network known as IMSI.

The daily reported that the deal is based on two tracks, the first judicial where the judicial authorities can obtain any information without any reservation while the second is administrative and requires the PM’s approval on the requests submitted by the security agencies.

Suleiman also decided to delegate a team to a European country next week to view the modern mechanisms in intercepting phone calls.

The Baabda Palace meeting agreed on holding a second meeting on July 30 to evaluate the adopted mechanism and its effectiveness.

The president, according to the daily, will not announce any stance on whether the national dialogue table will be held on time or not before Monday to make way for more contacts with the political rivals.

The national dialogue resumed in June after a 19-month absence.

It has since held two sessions that were boycotted by the Lebanese Forces, whose leader Samir Geagea had deemed the talks a “distraction.”

Ministerial sources told the pan-Arab daily al-Hayat that Suleiman is also exerting his efforts to resolve the second condition set by the March 14 to attend the dialogue table.

Sources close to the president told the daily that the president is trying to limit the effects of Hizbullah MP Mohammed Raad’s statement that it was premature to hold any talks on the topic of a national defense strategy before a total liberation from Israeli occupation.

The all-party talks are aimed at discussing a defense strategy for Lebanon, resolving Hizbullah’s possession of arms, and the spread of weapons among Palestinian refugees inside and outside of their camps.