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Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Administration charges Venezuela with helping fund Hizbullah

WASHINGTON — On June 18, the Treasury Department sanctioned a Venezuelan diplomat identified as a financier of Hizbullah in the South American state. The diplomat, Ghazi Nasr Al Din, was banned from doing business with Americans or in the United States.

The Treasury order also sanctioned Fawzi Kan'an and two Venezuelan-based travel agencies, Biblos and Hilal. Officials said Kan'an, who denied any link to Hizbullah, owns or controls these agencies.

The Bush administration said the government in Venezuela was cooperating with Hizbullah. Officials said the government was also relaying funds to Hizbullah.

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"It is extremely troubling to see the government of Venezuela employing and providing safe harbor to Hizbullah facilitators and fundraisers," Adam Szubin, the director of Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control, said.

Officials said Nasr Al Din was president of the Shi'a Islamic Center in Caracas. In that position as well as being a diplomat in Lebanon and Syria, Nasr Al Din was said to have relayed funding to Hizbullah, and in 2006 brought two representatives to Caracas to solicit donations. In 2005, Nasr Al Din paid for Hizbullah members to attend a training course in Iran.

"Nasr Al Din has counseled Hizbullah donors on fundraising efforts and has provided donors with specific information on bank accounts where the donors' deposits would go directly to Hizbullah," the Treasury said.

Kan'an was described as another financier of Hizbullah and traveled with militia representatives to Iran. The Treasury said Kan'an used Biblos to funnel money to Lebanon.

"Kan'an has met with senior Hizbullah officials in Lebanon to discuss operational issues, including possible kidnappings and terrorist attacks," the Treasury said. "Further, Kan'an has also traveled with other Hizbullah members to Iran for training."

The sanctions were announced as intelligence agencies in Canada and the United States have reported a Hizbullah operational presence in North America. Officials said Hizbullah sent key operatives in Canada in what could be a plot to attack Jewish targets in wake of the assassination of Hizbullah operational chief Imad Mughniyeh.

"They want to kill as many people as they can, they want it to be a big splash," former CIA intelligence officer Bob Baer said. "They cannot have an operation fail, and I don't think they will. They're the A-team of terrorism."

At the same time, the Bush administration has been examining a Lebanese request for a $400 million arms deal. Under the project, the United States would relay hundreds of anti-tank guided missiles, light weapons and military equipment to the Lebanese Army, which in May 2008 refused to stop the Hizbullah offensive throughout the country.


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