MGLE01: SHIA SPIRITUAL LEADER SPEAKS OUT FOR

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BEIRUT 001471 SIPDIS SIPDIS NSC FOR ABRAMS/DORAN/WERNER/SINGH E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/09/2016 TAGS: KDEM CASC KISL PGOV PHUM SUBJECT: MGLE01: SHIA SPIRITUAL LEADER SPEAKS OUT FOR OPENNESS; WANTS TO GO TO WASHINGTON Classified By: JEFFREY FELTMAN, AMBASSADOR. REASONS SECTION 1.4(B) SUMMARY -------------- ¶1. (C) On May 9, Ambassador accompanied by PolChief met with head of the Higher Shia Council, Abed al-Amir Qabalan to brief him on PM Siniora's visit to the United States. Qabalan said the Taif accords are the solution to Lebanon's troubles and the leaders should return to that as the basis for Lebanon's political reform. Qabalan was concerned that tensions in Lebanon were rising, and he credited the national dialogue with lowering those tensions. He said he supported the dialogue and he called on the USG to support it as well. The Shia leader asked the Ambassador to ensure that the USG was hearing all voices in Lebanon, even the voices of our opponents and enemies, and he asked if the Ambassador would respond to a Lahoud invitation to the Baabda Palace. Finally, the Ambassador raised the child custody issue of Kasey Klotz. Qabalan agreed to look into the matter, saying, Hizballah is not opposed to American children, just American policies. End summary. THE NATIONAL DIALOGUE AND TAIF ARE OUR BEST HOPE -------------- ¶2. (C) Briefed by the Ambassador regarding the PM's visit to Washington, Qabalan was pleased that Siniora had a good trip. He quickly turned to the present situation in Lebanon. Qabalan said that the Taif accords were the real solution to all of Lebanon's troubles. Political leaders should return to the principles of Taif as they discuss the future of the country. He then lectured on how important it was for the USG, with all its power, to hear all sides of Lebanon's story today. Qabalan said it was important that the U.S. seek wisdom even from its enemies. He praised the national dialogue begun by speaker Nabih Berri, saying that tensions in Lebanon had been rising, and the dialogue reduced those tensions before they became dangerous. The Shia spiritual leader said that he supported the dialogue and hoped that it would continue. Qabalan also called on the USG to support continuation of the dialogue. He said that he was opposed to violence, terrorism and conflict. Qabalan referred to Iraq, saying the Shia are among the victims of international terrorism. The dialogue and all efforts to bring Lebanese 
together were the chief means of preventing these evils. YOU MUST SPEAK TO EVERYONE--NOT JUST FRIENDS -------------- ¶3. (C) Qabalan wanted to make sure that the USG got the right message in Lebanon, too. "Reach out to your enemy. If he does not cooperate, people will begin to suspect his credibility. If you treat him reasonably and he does not respond reasonably, people will question him, not you." He delivered a sermon on the need for the embassy to hear all sides. He pleaded with the Ambassador to call on President Emile Lahoud. "We have a saying," Qabalan said, "You can even get wisdom from a madman." He quickly laughed, "I am not saying he is crazy." The Ambassador explained that he met with a broad range of Lebanese, representative of many points of view, pro- and anti-March 14. However, Lahoud was not representative of a Lebanese point of view. Our Embassy in Damascus reports on Syrian views. Qabalan stood briefly on legalistic grounds saying that Lahoud was the President of the Republic and head of state. However, he relented, saying, "it was just a suggestion" When the Ambassador asked him why Qabalan was so intent on bringing the Ambassador and Lahoud together, Qabalan smiled. He said that it wasn't essential to him that the Ambassador see Lahoud. The appointment he was most intent on arranging would be a meeting invovling the Ambassador and Fadlallah and Hassan Nasrallah. I WOULD LIKE TO VISIT WASHINGTON -------------- ¶4. (C) Qabalan said that Christians and Muslims share sets of values. He encouraged the USG to use that shared set of mores as a means to repair ties with Lebanese parties with whom we have had disagreements. Qabalan said that the U.S. is a suitable partner because it is a secular state that selects policies based on politics and not religion. In that spirit, Qabalan said he wished for a USG invitation to travel to the Washington on an official visit. BEIRUT 00001471 002 OF 002 KELSEY KLOTZ -------------- ¶5. (SBU) Before leaving, the Ambassador briefed Qabalan on the case of Amcit child Kasey Klotz. He explained that the child was being held in violation of local civil and religious court orders, at the behest of Hizballah. Qabalan said he would look into the matter, and expressed doubts that Hizballah would find it in its interest to prevent the implementation of a judicial order. ¶5. (C) Comment: Qabalan has been hinting at a U.S. trip since Cardinal Sfeir was received at the White House in 2005. If Qabalan were received at a high level in Washington, his stock would rise rapidly among the Shia community here. Qabalan is a Shia spiritual leader whose position as head of the Higher Shia Council is dependent on the good will of both Amal and Hizballah. This dependence on many masters has forced Qabalan to be mild-mannered when speaking on internal issues. The USG has received a Christian leader, Sfeir; a Sunni leader: Hariri and his PM Siniora, and now -- in the warped ways of Lebanon -- the Shia feel that they are due. We have few Shia choices: Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri; secular, corrupt and undemocratic, or Qabalan; religious, marginal and untested (and whose views on Sheba'a Farms, Israel, etc. are far from ours). No other Shia figures hold any official position that would justify a trip, or, if they are, they are linked directly to Hizballah and completely unacceptable to us. We will explore separately how we might use Qabalan's clear desire to visit the U.S. to our advantage as we try to convince the Shia that our pro-freedom agenda is not (as Hizballah insists) an anti-Shia agenda in disguise. End comment. FELTMAN