Washington Warns of Attempts to Finance Terrorism via Lebanon's Banks
U.S. Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorist Financing Daniel Glaser reportedly warned during a short visit to Beirut from attempts to involve Lebanese banks in money laundering operations to finance terrorism.
According to al-Akhbar newspaper published on Wednesday, Glaser, who met with Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh and a delegation from the Lebanese Association of Banks, said that funds to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) from some Gulf countries could pass through Lebanon, Iraq and Turkey.
He pointed out that “banks in Lebanon could be used to reach the global banking sector,” sources told al-Akhbar newspaper.
The U.S. official also discussed measures that would reduce the flow of illicit money, which could be used to fund terrorist organizations and operations.
For his part, head of the Association of Banks in Lebanon Francois Bassil stressed Lebanon's keenness to combat money laundering and the funding of terrorism.
Glaser, according to a statement issued by the U.S. embassy in Beirut on Tuesday, encouraged Lebanese authorities and financial institutions to continue their work to combat the threat of illicit financing and prevent attempts to evade U.S. and international financial sanctions from Iran and Syria, in particular.
He also met with Prime Minister Tammam Salam, Minister of Finance Ali Hassan Khalil, Minister of Foreign Affairs Jebran Bassil and Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq.
He reiterated the U.S. commitment to work with Lebanon to continue protecting Lebanon’s financial system from abuse by terrorism threats.
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