LATEST GOF THINKING ON MEHLIS REPORT, SYRIA/LEBANON

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 PARIS 007399

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/27/2015
TAGS: PREL FR LE SY UNSC
SUBJECT: LATEST GOF THINKING ON MEHLIS REPORT, SYRIA/LEBANON


Classified By: POLITICAL MINISTER COUNSELOR JOSIAH ROSENBLATT, FOR REAS
ONS 1.4 B/D


1. (C) Summary: On October 28, Herve Besancenot, the MFA's
DAS-equivalent for Egypt/Levant, offered latest French
thinking on the Mehlis report and other related issues.
Besancenot said France was focused on gaining unanimity for a
draft resolution in the Security Council, and was willing to
compromise on certain issues in order to protect French
redlines, such as invoking Chapter VII and threatening
sanctions. He emphasized that FM Douste-Blazy would only go
to the UN on October 31 if agreement on a text had been
reached. In regards to both the Mehlis and Larsen reports,
Besancenot said it was critically important for future
reports to stay within their mandates and avoid bringing in
other issues, even if they were linked in reality. Focusing
exclusively on their respective mandates was essential to
maintaining their credibility, said Besancenot. End summary.

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THE MEHLIS REPORT
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2. (C) Poloff raised President Chirac's October 27 statement
at the informal European Summit at Hampton Roads in which he
said he was in favor of an "international tribunal" in
accordance with what he termed Saad Hariri's wishes. (Note:
It was later reported as Chirac "calling" for an
international tribunal. End note) Besancenot said President
Chirac had clearly stated that even if he believed an
international tribunal was a good idea, France would respond
to the Lebanese government's wishes. France was ready to
contribute in any way necessary, but would follow Lebanon's
lead regarding the trial of those involved in PM Hariri's
assassination.


3. (C) Besancenot also offered his take on the draft UNSCR to
respond to the Mehlis report. He said France's firm
conviction was that the resolution should be unanimous; to
settle for a majority would harm international efforts to
respond to the Mehlis report. He said he understood the USG
argument that UNSCR 1559 had passed with a majority instead
of unanimity, but he said the GOF regretted in that case that
unanimity had not been achieved. In order to reach
unanimity, France was willing to be flexible on some issues,
such as a call on Syria to cease all interference in Lebanon
and the invoking of the terrorist clause, in order to protect
its redlines: invoking Chapter VII (which Besancenot called
"indispensable") and the threat of sanctions. These two
concepts were absolutely key for any resolution, said
Besancenot. However, he said France would focus on abiding
by strict judicial processes, to avoid charges that sanctions
against individuals would be levied for political reasons.
Syria was trying its hardest to divide the Security Council,
said Besancenot, and it was therefore essential that the U.S.
and France work towards unanimity within the council.


4. (C) The key was the actual Mehlis report, said Besancenot.
It is accepted by all countries, including those in the Arab
world. Given its credibility, the international community
should strictly follow the report's recommendations and not
go any further, again to avoid charges of political
opportunism. It was for this reason, said Besancenot, that
France would not insist on including in the draft resolution
a clause that called on Syria to cease all interference in
Lebanon. This was related to the Mehlis report, but not a
focus of it. France had no interest in a "melting pot"
resolution, either for the Mehlis report or in reaction to
the Larsen report, said Besancenot. The GOF believed it was
not sellable to Arab countries or to the UNSC. Given the
success up to this point of the Mehlis report, it would be
counter-productive to overreach, said Besancenot. France was
very willing for Mehlis to continue his work (and even to
give him an extension to the December deadline),in order
that he might "transform suspicion into proof," said
Besancenot.

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THE LARSEN REPORT
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5. (C) Turning to the latest report from UN Envoy Terje
Roed-Larsen regarding compliance with UNSCR 1559, Besancenot
said Larsen was well within his mandate to focus on the PFLP
and Hezbollah as two organizations that continue to hold
weaponry in defiance of 1559. Returning to a point he made
on the Mehlis report, Besancenot emphasized that Larsen
should keep to the strict confines of the mandate. It was
not useful, said Besancenot, to raise the presence of
Palestinian extremist groups in Damascus or Syrian-Iraqi
border issues, because to do so would diminish the report's
credibility and also diminish the credibility of any
subsequent resolutions.
Please visit Paris' Classified Website at:
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/paris/index.c fm
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