U.S. Freezes Riches Made by Syrian Intelligence Chiefs as Dictators over Lebanon
| The United States, turning up the heat on Syria, is blocking the financial assets of the country's interior minister Ghazi Kenaan and military intelligence chief Rustom Ghazaleh, each of whom amassed a fabulous fortune during his service as effective dictator over Lebanon. The move on Thursday grabbed page-one headlines in Beirut on Friday. The U.S. Treasury Department in Washington said it believes the two men have been linked to terrorist acts as they played lead roles in directing Syria's military presence in Lebanon. The action means that any assets belonging to these men found in the United States will be frozen. Americans also are forbidden from doing business with them. The power for the department to take the action stems from a May, 11, 2004, executive order by President Bush. Thursday's designations targeting the two Syrians were the first under that order, said Treasury Department spokeswoman Molly Millerwise. Syria's official news agency, SANA, quoted a government press official as saying the U.S. action was an attempt to escalate political pressure on Syria and an attempt to divert attention from what Syria described as Israeli aggression in southern Lebanon. Syria is on the U.S. State Department's list of countries and organizations accused of supporting terrorism. Despite strained relations with the United States, Syrian officials have repeatedly said they are cooperating with the U.S.-led war on terrorism. The country has said all its military forces left Lebanon in April after some three decades as the dominant political and military force there. "We are seeking democracy to take hold in Lebanon and other places in the Middle East, yet Syria continues to support violent groups and political strife," said Treasury Secretary John Snow. Before taking his current post as interior minister, Kenaan served as the chief of Syrian Military Intelligence for Lebanon for 20 years, the department said. He was replaced by Ghazaleh in late 2002. The department alleged that during Kenaan's command in Lebanon, he ensured that Syrian military intelligence officers remained "deeply involved" in Lebanese political and economic affairs. Kenaan also is alleged to have provided support to Hizbullah, which the U.S. has deemed a terrorist group. "In 2002, three rockets in a convoy allegedly escorted by Kenaan were personally delivered across the Syrian-Lebanese border to Hizbullah in Lebanon," the department said. Addressing Ghazaleh, he "manipulated Lebanese politics to ensure that Lebanese officials and public policy remained committed" to Syria's goals and interests, the department alleged. In late 2004, he allegedly warned that Syria "was determined to physically harm anyone who interfered with Lebanon's economic situation and caused a crisis of confidence," the department said. "Syria has asked its ambassador in Washington to seek clarifications from the State Department" about the move against Kenaan and Ghazaleh, said a Syrian official in Damascus, according to the state-run SANA news agency. |
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