MGLE01: SPEAKER BERRI ON LABOR DEMONSTRATIONS,

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 BEIRUT 001495

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

NSC FOR ABRAMS/DORAN/SINGH/WERNER

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/11/2026
TAGS: PREL PGOV KDEM ELAB LE SY
SUBJECT: MGLE01: SPEAKER BERRI ON LABOR DEMONSTRATIONS,
SYRIA, LAHOUD'S FATE, AND THE NATIONAL DIALOGUE

REF: BEIRUT 1484

Classified By: Jeffrey Feltman, Ambassador, per 1.4 (b) and (d).

SUMMARY AND COMMENT
--------------


1. (C) In a 5/11 meeting with the Ambassador, Parliament
Speaker Nabih Berri downplayed the importance of the 5/10
demonstrations led by Hizballah, Amal, and Michel Aoun's Free
Patriotic Movement (reftel). While Aoun may hope to topple
the cabinet, Berri claimed credit for limiting Hizballah and
Amal's aims to drawing attention to social and labor issues
only. Now, if Prime Minister Siniora will meet labor leaders
to discuss reform issues directly (i.e., doing the sort of
backroom deals that Berri favors),there will be no more need
for labor protests. Displaying political pettiness more
openly than usual, Berri justified Amal's belated decision to
participate in the 5/10 demonstrations on snubs from Siniora
and "lies" from Saad Hariri. Discussing his 5/7 trip to
Damascus, Berri denied that he had been pressured by Bashar
al-Asad. Instead, Berri patted himself on the back for
paving the way to a solution to the Syrian berms placed
inside Lebanese territory in the Biqa'a Valley. He also
claimed to have won Bashar's acquiescence to receive Fouad
Siniora to address bilateral issues raied in the National
Dialogue. Berri blamed the international community for
President Emile Lahoud's continued tenure, insisting that
international contact with the Syrians would have allowed him
to solve the issue. Finally, Berri was downbeat on prospects
for the May 16 session of the National Dialogue but vowed to
keep the discussions going, to provide hope and a peaceful
forum for debate. End summary and comment.

DEMONSTRATION RHETORIC TO THE CONTRARY,
BERRI CLAIMS PROTESTS WEREN'T ANTI-GOL
--------------


2. (C) In a one-on-one meeting with the Speaker, the
Ambassador asked Berri's views on three unusual aspects of
the 5/10 demonstrations led by Hizballah, Amal, and Michel
Aoun's forces (reftel): 1) Why, if the demonstration was
not pro-Syrian (as its organizers insisted it was not),did
the demonstrators chant Syria, Iran, and Bashar repeatedly?
2) Why were Hizballah activists photographed putting on
ORANGE shirts, indicating that they were trying to make the
Aounist participation appear larger than it in fact was? 3)
How could Amal and Hizballah participate in a demonstration
protesting the government, when both groups also participate
in the government?

3) (C) Skipping the first two points, Berri went to the
third: the demonstration, he insisted, was not anti-GOL --
at least not according to Hizballah and Amal. Aoun can claim
what he wants, but Hizballah and Amal reject Aoun's idea of
using the street to topple the cabinet. Indeed, Berri said,
he should be given credit for opening up a split between Aoun
and Hizballah: it was Berri who said publicly and repeatedly
that Hizballah and Amal have limited aims, to allow the
unions to demonstrate their concern about social and labor
issues.

IF SINIORA TALKS TO UNIONS, NO NEED
FOR FURTHER LABOR DEMONSTRATIONS
--------------


4. (C) While marveling that this was the largest labor
demonstration in Lebanon's history, Berri counseled the
Ambassador not to place too much importance on it.
"Naturally," when changes are discussed that affect people's
benefits and job tenures, people will react with fear and
uncertainty. The orderliness of the demonstration showed
that Hizballah and Amal have no intentions of crossing a red
line into violence and mayhem. The Ambassador asked about
rumors that this was only the first of what are intended to
be increasingly large and unruly protests. "Who said that
besides Michel Aoun?" Berri asked. If PM Siniora will now
sit down and meet with labor leaders to hear out their
concerns and to give them the opportunity to hear from him
directly how he plans to proceed on reforms, then there will
be no further need for street demonstrations. The Ambassador
asked whether Aoun agreed. "I don't care if he agrees or
not," Berri said, emphasizing that he was speaking for Amal.

SNUBBED BY SINIORA, FACED WITH HARIRI "LIES,"
BERRI BELATEDLY HAS AMAL JOIN DEMONSTRATION
--------------

BEIRUT 00001495 002 OF 003




5. (C) The Ambassador noted that the Amal movement decided
only at the last moment to participate in the demonstration.
Nodding, Berri said that he was waiting for Siniora to return
from London, in hopes that the two of them could sit down
together and work out a way to justify a cancellation of the
demonstration. Berri waited and waited, and Siniora kept
extending his London stay. Eventually, Berri called Siniora
in London to ask his travel plans. When Siniora used poetic
Arabic to note that he would be arriving with the rosy
fingers of dawn on 5/10, Berri became annoyed: Siniora knew
he wanted to meet with him, yet he planned his return to
Lebanon so late that there was no time for consultations
before the demonstration was slated to begin. (Comment:
This is not exactly true. Siniora arrived at 5 a.m., and the
demonstration did not begin until 3 p.m. But Berri made his
decision at 10 p.m. the previous evening. End comment.)


6. (C) Moreover, Berri said, he never got a proper apology
from Saad Hariri for "lies" published in al-Hayat earlier
this week. According to Berri, Hariri complained that no one
from Amal had participated in the funerals of Rafiq Hariri
and Gebran Tueni. In the case of Hariri's 2/16 funeral,
Berri noted, "I served as host, welcoming visitors -- I
seated you and Bill Burns, remember!" After the funeral,
Berri went to the Hariri house to pay condolences, and he
claimed that his wife Randa spent four days straight helping
to comfort Nazek Hariri. As for Tueni's funeral, Berri
described crossing Parliament Square to enter the church.
Onlookers chanted "Syrian agent!" as he passed, and "I told
my bodyguards not to pay attention." After the funeral, he
joined the family at the graveyard for the burial. While
noting that he remembered vividly Berri's participation in
both the Hariri and Tueni funerals, the Ambassador said that
the causal linkage with the 5/10 demonstration escaped him.
Displaying considerable irritation, Berri said that Hariri
should not take him for granted and should not consider him a
fool.

BERRI CLAIMS TO HAVE
WON BASHAR'S HELP
--------------


7. (C) The Ambassador asked Berri about his 5/7 trip to
Damascus. Berri denied the rumors both that he had been
summoned by Syrian President Bashar al-Asad and that he had
been lectured and pressured by Bashar. "I made the decision
to go," he said, claiming to have watched in frustration as
no one worked to reduce the tensions between Syria and
Lebanon. Once again, no one appreciates the role he
succeeded in playing. Because of Berri's interventions with
Bashar, local Lebanese and Syrian officials are on the verge
of solving the Syrian berms and border checkpoints that were
recently moved inside Lebanese territory. Berri got Bashar
to agree to receive Siniora, per the National Dialogue's
request that Siniora discuss with Bashar border demarcation,
Sheba'a Farms, and diplomatic relations. Berri also brokered
a "very productive, very successful" meeting in London
between Siniora and Syria's ambassador to the Court of St.
James's. (Siniora told the Ambassador separately that, while
the atmosphere was indeed more cordial than expected, the
meeting had no substance, with the Syrian Ambassador claiming
that Syria was incapable of anything as sophisticated as the
murder of Hariri.)

SYRIA DID NOT AGREE TO DROP LAHOUD,
AND BERRI BLAMES INTERNATIONAL PLAYERS
--------------


8. (C) Berri said that he had been deeply disappointed,
however, by his inability to get the Syrians to focus on
removing Lebanese President Emile Lahoud. And that failure,
he claimed, is due to the United States, France, Egypt, Saudi
Arabia, and UN. "I told you to talk to the Syrians," he
said. Had those international parties broached the subject
of Lahoud with Syria, then those discussions would have paved
the way for Berri to be successful in getting Syria to drop
Lahoud. The Ambassador said that the Lebanese have the power
to remove Lahoud on their own: if Berri instructed his bloc
to work with the March 14 MPs, there would be sufficient
votes to replace the President. Berri shook his head:
Lebanon is too divided, and such a strategy risks plunging
the country into violence. Syria needs to give Hizballah a
green light. International approaches to Syria would do the
trick. The Ambassador responded that no one was willing to
pay a price to Syria when Syria should not have any say in
Lebanon's presidency. "Do you want to solve the problem or

BEIRUT 00001495 003 OF 003


not?" Berri harrumphed.

LOW EXPECTATIONS FOR 5/16 DIALOGUE
--------------


9. (C) Responding to the question about the May 16
reconvening of the National Dialogue, Berri said that he did
not have high expectations. The issue of the presidency
would be discussed again, with no results anticipated. Maybe
he would steer the conversation to the next and final topic,
Hizballah's arms, although he expected Hizballah would insist
on moving sequentially. That would mean that the dialogue
remains stuck on the presidency indefinitely. Berri said
that he was committed to periodic sessions of the National
Dialogue in any case, as the dialogue has reassured the
Lebanese, brought confidence to the financial markets, and
serves as a peaceful forum for debate.
FELTMAN