Intelligence agencies coordinate to fight terrorism

Lebanon hosted a week-long high-level seminar on coordination mechanisms between intelligence agencies with counter-terrorism competencies. The event was organised by the European project ACT (Advanced Counter-Terrorism for Lebanon’s Security) and brought together high-level specialists from the three countries of the project consortium: Spain, France and Italy.

The event was inaugurated by the Prime Minister of the Lebanese Republic. In his speech, the Prime Minister thanked the European Union and the governments of Spain, France and Italy for their strategic partnership with Lebanon in the fight against terrorism. He reiterated that the ACT project is considered a benchmark for its inclusive support to all Lebanese security and justice institutions in strengthening their capacities.

This capacity building of security and justice institutions is being done through the development of a national counter-terrorism strategy, a critical infrastructure protection system, counter-terrorism coordination mechanisms and cyber security.

At the opening ceremony, the Ambassador of the European Union stated that cooperation in the field of security and the fight against terrorism is a key aspect. For his part, the Spanish ambassador highlighted Spain’s great commitment, as a leading country in the fight against terrorism, through the contribution of leading Spanish professionals to the project in order to share best practices in this area.

For his part, the National Police inspector and head of the project, Jesús Arias, highlighted the importance of having a clear mechanism for coordination and information sharing between Lebanese intelligence agencies, this activity being a good opportunity to establish a coordination system or body adapted to the specific circumstances of Lebanon.

During the conference, the European panellists discussed with their Lebanese counterparts the different coordination systems in Spain, France, Italy and the European Union, both from the perspective of intelligence agencies and at the judicial level.

This activity followed a visit to Madrid, during which they learned about the existing structures for the prevention, fight and protection against acts of terrorism in Spain, as well as their coordination mechanisms, which can serve as a guiding model for their implementation in Lebanon.