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OO RUEHAG RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHKUK RUEHROV
DE RUEHLB #0150/01 0291059
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O 291059Z JAN 07
FM AMEMBASSY BEIRUT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 7268
INFO RUEHEE/ARAB LEAGUE COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC PRIORITY

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 03 BEIRUT 000150

SIPDIS
NOFORN

DEPARTMENT FOR NEA/ELA, S/CT, AND INR; NSC FOR
ABRAMS/DORAN/MARCHESE/HARDNIG

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/27/2027
TAGS: PINR ETTC PTER LE SY
SUBJECT: LIST OF AL-MANAR SHAREHOLDERS: POTENTIAL NAMES FOR DESIGNATION?
REF: 06 STATE 46620

Classified By: Jeffrey Feltman, Ambassador, per 1.4 (b) and (d).

¶1. (U) This is an action request -- please see para 8 below.

¶2. (S/NF) Embassy Beirut´s consular section has obtained, through the Lebanese commercial registry, the listing of the 38 shareholders of the Lebanese Media Group, aka Lebanese Communication Group, Hizballah´s parent company for Al-ManarTelevision and Al-Nour Radio. As is required under Lebanese law for all media companies, the shareholders are drawn from across Lebanon´s confessional spectrum. We understand that, in some cases, Christians were given shares in the company for free, so that Hizballah would be able to maintain the appearance of complying with the requirements of confessional balance. (We have no information regarding any payment of dividends; it is widely believed in Lebanon -- and a fairly safe bet, given how other media companies here are in the red -- that these are money-losing ventures subsidized by Iran for propaganda purposes.)

¶3. (S/NF) Under E.O. 13224, the Treasury Department in late March 2006 designated the Lebanese Media Group, Al-Manar, and Al-Nour as "Specially Designated Global Terrorists" or "SDGT" (reftel). Hizballah, which controls the companies, has been designated under three different counterterrorism authorities as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, a Specially Designated Terrorist, and (like the media companies) a SDGT. As Al-Manar was designated a terrorist organization for immigration purposes in December 2004 (when Al-Manar was put on the "Terrorist Exclusion List"), the Embassy´s consular section has entered all names on the list in para 6 below in the visa look-out system and has canceled the two visas that remained valid when we studied this list.

¶4. (S/NF) Embassy Beirut recommends that the 38 individual shareholders be designated individually under appropriate legal authorities. As listed in public documents in Lebanon, these individuals are legal owners of an organization -- the Lebanese Media Group -- deemed by the United States to be a terrorist organization. Designating them now will reinforce our efforts to discredit Hizballah and its institutions and deny Hizballah supporters access to financing that goes through U.S. institutions. Moreover, the publicity that will greet designation will make other Lebanese think twice about being involved in Hizballah-connected institutions. Some people may even become more cautious about appearing on Al-Manar programming, for fear of designation. (There could even be an impact on General Michel Aoun´s attempt to launch his "Orange TV" station, as potential contributors to Aoun may become leery of Aoun´s cozy relationship with Hizballah. As long as Aoun maintains his relationship with Hizballah and works with Hizballah to topple by non-peaceful means a cabinet we support, we believe that suppressing support for Orange TV is in our policy interest.)

¶5. (S/NF) Designation will be seen -- rightly -- within the context of increased U.S. pressure on Iran and against the backdrop of the struggle inside Lebanon of the March 14-GOL forces against the Syrian and Iranian-allied March 8-Aoun opposition. We can expect a fierce reaction from Hizballah and its allies, repeating the usual charges of hypocrisy regarding freedom of the press and expression. And, in some quarters in Lebanon and in the Islamic world, the "persecution" of Al-Manar will be used for propaganda purposes (although to audiences who are, for now, probably lost to us in any case). Undoubtedly, the announcement of individual designations will also provoke some listed shareholders to protest that they were merely cover names and played no active role nor reaped any benefit from their nominal shares. But, since the earlier designations of the three companies were widely publicized in Lebanon, these shareholders had plenty of time to contact us and provide evidence that they were wrongly listed in the commercial registry.

¶6. (U) Below is a list of the Lebanese Media Company shareholders the Embassy obtained through the commercial registry: XXXXXXXXXXXX.

¶7. (U) The commercial registry also notes the following information (lightly edited to correct grammar): "The commercial name of the Al Manar Television is Lebanese Communication Group, LCG S.A.L. The company was legally established/registered with the Baabda commercial registrar court on January 13, 1997, under registration number 59531. Mr. Nayef Krayem is the president of the board and general manager. The capital of the company is 25,500,000,000.00 Lebanese pounds (approximately USD 17,000,000.) The company deals with general trade and import/export; makes and promises all kinds of media activities (cinema, television, and radio); and exports, produces, directs, translates, and broadcasts movies, publicity, news, and documentary tapes. The company is located in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Haret Hreik area, Kassis Street, Sultan Assaad Building. Contact numbers are 01-276-000, 01-217-405, 01-555-953; e-mail is almanar@almanar.com.lb. (The Embassy notes that, since July/August 2006, the companies have most likely sought new office space.)

¶8. (S/NF) Action request: please advise whether the individuals listed in para 6, who are publicly listed as the shareholders of a "Specially Designated Global Terrorists" organization, can be designated under USG terrorist-related executive orders. End action request.

FELTMAN