Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
05CAIRO3175
2005-04-28 15:18:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Cairo
Cable title:  

GOE TRACKING SYRIAN MOVES IN LEBANON; NOTES OUR

Tags:  PREL PGOV KPAO EG LE SY 
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C O N F I D E N T I A L CAIRO 003175 

SIPDIS

FOR NEA/ELA

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/28/2015
TAGS: PREL PGOV KPAO EG LE SY
SUBJECT: GOE TRACKING SYRIAN MOVES IN LEBANON; NOTES OUR
DEMARCHE ON MAINTAINING PRESSURE.

REF: STATE 78006 (NOTAL)

Classified by ECPO Counselor John Desrocher for reasons 1.4
(b) and (d).

C O N F I D E N T I A L CAIRO 003175

SIPDIS

FOR NEA/ELA

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/28/2015
TAGS: PREL PGOV KPAO EG LE SY
SUBJECT: GOE TRACKING SYRIAN MOVES IN LEBANON; NOTES OUR
DEMARCHE ON MAINTAINING PRESSURE.

REF: STATE 78006 (NOTAL)

Classified by ECPO Counselor John Desrocher for reasons 1.4
(b) and (d).


1. (C) The Charge delivered reftel demarche to Presidential
Spokesman Soliman Awad April 28. Before hearing the
demarche, Awad noted that the just-concluded visit of Russian
President Putin had been very successful. Turning to
Lebanon, the Charge drew from reftel talking points to stress
the importance of maintaining pressure on Syria to fully
implement UNSCR 1559. Awad took careful note of the points,
noted President Mubarak's interest in this matter, and said
that he would deliver our points directly to the President.


2. (C) Poloff followed up with MFA Cabinet staff member Amr
Sherbiny. Sherbiny, who will accompany the Minister later
April 28 to Istanbul for an Iraq Neighbors meeting, said that
Egypt was watching developments in Lebanon and Syria closely.
Citing public comments by the State Department Spokesman,
Sherbiny said that he had anticipated the U.S. demarche and
understood that pressure on Damascus and the Lebanese regime
would continue until UNSCR 1559 was fully implemented.
Sherbiny promised to pass our demarche directly to the
Foreign Minister.


3. (C) Reviewing the status of events in Lebanon, Sherbiny
believed elections would be held on time starting May 29,
based on the "law of 2000 with minor amendments." On Syrian
troop withdrawal, Syria's Deputy Foreign Minister Walid Al
Muallim reportedly told assembled Arab Ambassadors April 27
that all Syrian forces ("kuwwat") had departed Lebanon and
that a "full withdrawal" had been completed. Sherbiny said
that Muallim reportedly said that Syria was "thinking about
establishing diplomatic relations with Lebanon," as UN
Special Envoy Larsen had urged during his latest regional
tour. Responding to poloff's assertion that militias in
Lebanon would need to be disarmed, Sherbiny stated that this
difficult task would take time and would need to be addressed
by the Lebanese themselves after elections.


Visit Embassy Cairo's Classified Website:
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/cairo

You can also access this site through the
State Department's Classified SIPRNET website.

CORBIN