GOF FULLY SUPPORTS OUR APPROACH ON SYRIAN-LEBANESE

C O N F I D E N T I A L PARIS 005113

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/22/2015
TAGS: PREL SY LE ECON ETRD FR
SUBJECT: GOF FULLY SUPPORTS OUR APPROACH ON SYRIAN-LEBANESE
BORDER BLOCKAGE

REF: STATE 135904

Classified By: Political Counselor Paul Mailhot, reasons 1.4 (b) and (d
).

(C) We discussed the Syrian-Lebanese border blockage (reftel)
July 22 with MFA desk officer for Syria/Lebanon Remy
Bouallegue, who confirmed that the GoF fully agreed that
Syrian blockage of the border constituted interference aimed
at destabilizing Lebanon. Bouallegue noted France had
toughened its public criticism of the border blockage and
sought successfully to have a reference to the issue added to
the recent EU General Affairs Council (GAERC) conclusions on
Syria. He added that the GoF would continue to pursue the
issue on the basis of the GAERC language, which called on
Syria to contribute to regional stability. The GoF was
approaching the UK EU Presidency and other EU members to
encourage demarches on the issue to the Arab League, as well
as to key Arab League members. While confirming that France
would raise the issue with other Arab League capitals,
Bouallegue stressed the importance of having the EU take a
collective position and weigh in with the Arab League
Secretary-General and other regional governments. He

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confirmed that the UK had already raised the issue in a
recent human rights demarche to Damascus, and added that Arab
League Secretary-General Amr Musa's recent approach to the
Syrians on the issue was too soft and needed to be toughened.

STAPLETON