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Michel Fuad Samaha (born 9 September 1948) is a former Lebanese intelligence operative, deputy, and former minister of information and tourism. Samaha is known for his pro-Assad government views and described as silver-tongued politician. He was one of the pro-Syrian Lebanese officials who were sanctioned in 2007 by the United States for alleged "contributing to political and economic instability in Lebanon." Subsequently confessing to the aforementioned terrorist actively, Samaha was on 17 December 2012 listed by the United States as a global terrorist under section 1(b) of Executive Order 13224. ==Early life and career== Samaha was born on 9 September 1948. He became a member of the Phalangist or Kataeb Party in 1964 when he was a student. He was elected head of the party's student body in the 1970s. After graduation, he was appointed by Amine Gemayel as his media advisor. Then he became the chairman of the board of Tele Liban. During the Lebanon civil war, he acted as a mediator between the party and Assad government.〔 Samaha served as an advisor and envoy to Amine Gemayel during the latter's presidency from 1982 to 1988. However, later he joined the Lebanese Forces (LF) faction led by Elie Hobeika. In 1985, he began to act as both a Lebanese political operator and a Syrian-French intelligence operative.〔 He agreed to support the 1985 tripartite agreement between the LF represented by Hobeika, Nabih Berri’s Amal Movement, and Walid Jumblatt’s Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) on the eve of its signing.〔 Samaha left the LF-controlled areas on 15 January 1986. LF was headed by Samir Geagea during this period.〔 Samaha was also the advisor and close ally of Syrian President Bashar Assad and the Assad family since the time of late President Hafez Assad. Samaha served as the advisor of Bashar Assad in regard to his public relations in Europe.〔 Samaha had close ties with the French, Canadian, and US governments and assumed secret diplomatic and security roles.〔 When his close friend Elias Hrawi became president whose term lasted from 1989 to 1998, Samaha was made by him the information minister in 1992, then tourism minister for six months, then information minister again from 1992 to 1995.〔 Samaha won the Catholic parliamentary seat in North Metn in 1992 after the Taif agreement became effective. However, he lost it in the 1996 and 2000 elections.〔 Then prime minister Rafik Hariri appointed him information minister in 2003.〔 This appointment was made during the term of president Emile Lahoud whose tenure lasted from 1998 to 2007.〔 After the 2000 elections, Samaha involved in the establishment of the Movement for Democratic Renewal.〔 However, in 2002, he allied himself with the pro-Syrian political camp in Lebanon. Just before his arrest in August 2012, he was a member of Omar Karami’s pro-Syrian movement, the National Gathering.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Michel Samaha」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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