GOF SUPPORTS U.S. LINE ON FULL, IMMEDIATE SYRIAN

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 PARIS 001484

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/07/2015
TAGS: PREL SY LE FR
SUBJECT: GOF SUPPORTS U.S. LINE ON FULL, IMMEDIATE SYRIAN
WITHDRAWAL FROM LEBANON

REF: A. STATE 039018


B. PARIS 1401

C. PARIS 1366

D. PARIS 1268

Classified By: DCM Alex Wolff, reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (C) Summary: MFA officials stressed agreement with U.S.
views on seeking full and immediate Syrian withdrawal from
Lebanon, but voiced caution on Hizballah. We note that
French public statements on Syrian withdrawal hedge slightly
on the question of full withdrawal before elections and the
French reaction to Bashar al-Asad's March 5 speech was less
negative than that of the U.S. A March 7 joint Franco-German
statement on Lebanon called for withdrawal of Syrian troops
and security services "as soon as possible." Meanwhile, MFA
officials are not commenting on a March 6 press report that a
former head of Syrian Military Intelligence recently visited
France to present information on French hostage in Iraq
Florence Aubenas. End summary.


2. (C) DCM raised ref (a) points with FM Barnier's Cabinet
Director Pierre Vimont March 6, which we followed up March 7
with MFA DAS-equivalent for Levant Affairs Christian Jouret.
Vimont noted that there had been a conversation earlier in
the day on the general subject between the NSC and Elysee,
and undertook to pass our request on. He also cited French
concern about Hizballah's planned demonstration in Beirut
March 8. Jouret reported that the GoF fully agreed with our
message that Asad's March 5 speech was insufficient, though
an MFA declaration issued the same day (text in para 5) did
not exactly say so publicly. The GoF agreed that Syria's
rhetoric should be followed by action, and that withdrawal
should begin immediately and be complete by the time
elections begin, to include all Syrian military intelligence
(SMI) personnel as well. He confirmed that the GoF had
reinforced the need for a full and immediate withdrawal with
Syrian Deputy FM Muallem, while President Chirac had
discussed the issue by pbone with President Mubarak over the
weekend, and would continue to press the point with other
European and Arab interlocutors. (Note: Chirac and President
Schroeder issued a joint statement, text in para 5, calling
for full withdrawal of Syrian troops and security services
from Lebanon "as soon as possible," on the margins of a
summit meeting in Germany. End note.) It was clear,
according to Jouret, that Bashar al-Asad was under pressure
and knew he was in a grave situation; therefore, this was not
the moment for the international community to relent.


3. (C) The one point Jouret questioned was our reference to
forming "a united front" against third parties seeking to
disrupt efforts to achieve peace and exercise political will,
saying he was unsure what the U.S. meant by this reference or
whether France would be supportive. Poloff explained that we
must remain vigilant and unified in rejecting any attempts to
disrupt or use violence to destabilize the opposition,
especially as Syria was seeking to mobilize pro-Syrian
demonstrations and with Hizballah's plans to demonstrate on
March 8. Jouret agreed on the need to be alert to the
possibility to violence and said it was an open question
whether it would be used to suppress the opposition. On
Hizballah, he commented that its statements that it was not
against the opposition had been "relatively encouraging" and
showed that the movement had some political sensitivity,
although the planned demonstrations tomorrow remained a
worrisome development.


4. (U) We asked Jouret about a press report in the March 6
French newspaper "Journal de Dimanche," citing an "unnamed
Near Eastern source" as reporting that former Syrian Military
Intelligence Major-General Hassan Khalil had visited Paris
for three days around February 25, to present information
about French journalist Florence Aubenas, held hostage in
Iraq since January 5 (ref b). Jouret said he had not heard
of any such visit and was not aware of the article, and
stressed that he had no involvement in the Aubenas case.
(Comment: The article contained apparent inaccuracies, such
as failing to note that Khalil was replaced February 14 by
President Asad's brother-in-law, Asif Shawkat, for whom the
article said Khalil was the "right hand man." End comment.)
The MFA spokesperson offered no comment, but did not deny the
Khalil story, when asked about it at the March 7 daily press
briefing.


5. (U) The following are informal translations of the text
of the MFA statement issued March 5, shortly after the Asad
speech, and the March 7 Franco-German Declaration on Lebanon
issued on the margins of the Chirac-Schroeder summit in
Bloomberg, Germany:

Begin text of March 5 MFA statement: We take note of the
announcement by the Syrian President of his decision to apply
UNSCR 1559. We expect therefore that he will withdraw
entirely his troops and intelligence services from Lebanon as
soon as possible. We also await support without reservations
from the Syrian and Lebanese authorities for the UN
commission of inquiry on the assassination of former Prime
Minister Rafik Hariri. We wish for the rapid formation of a
Lebanese government and the holding of fair and transparent
elections, under the observation of international observers.
We have confidence in the capacity of the Lebanese people to
unite and decide for themselves freely. End text.

Begin text of March 7 Franco-German Declaration on Lebanon:
Germany and France reaffirm their attachment to the
independence, sovereignty, and democracy of Lebanon. We take
note of the announcement by the Syrian President of his
decision to apply UNSCR 1559. We expect Syria to withdraw
entirely its troops and security services from Lebanon as
soon as possible. It is well understood that we will be
vigilant on the timetable of steps to come, and, like all of
the international community, we will remain mobilized. We
follow with much attention the mission which the Special
representative of the Secretary-General of the UN will make
soon to Beirut and Damascus. We expect as well from the
Lebanese and Syrian authorities their full cooperation with
the UN commission of inquiry sent on the ground to shed light
on the assassination of Mr. Hariri. It is in this manner
that free and transparent elections can take place,
permitting the Lebanese people to decide for themselves
democratically. End text.



6. (C) Comment: There continues to be a slight nuance between
the tough private line and public positions the GoF is taking
on Syria/Lebanon. While the GoF continues to stress the need
for a "full and immediate" Syrian withdrawal from Lebanon, it
is not declaring as vociferously as the U.S. that full
withdrawal should take place before the elections start,
though the February 28 Chirac-Kwasniewski joint communique on
Lebanon declared that full withdrawal of Syrian troops and
security services was necessary for the elections' success.
FM Barnier, when pressed during an March 6 radio interview
whether the withdrawal should happen before elections, said,
"that would be ideal and that is what we would all like, for
Syria to withdraw rapidly, completely -- in effect, for the
Lebanese people really to be masters of their own destiny and
to have freedom of choice by the time these elections take
place." Similarly, we think the French will take a cautious
public stance on the planned March 8 demonstrations led by
Hizballah, in a desire to avoid alienating the Shi'a
community in Lebanon, and avoid fueling Hizballah accusations
of U.S. and French interference in Lebanon's affairs. End
comment.
Leach