TFLE01: PATRIARCH SFEIR WANTS DISPLACED SHIA TO

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BEIRUT 002527 SIPDIS NOFORN SIPDIS NSC FOR ABRAMS/DORAN/SINGH/HARDING E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/02/2016 TAGS: PREL PREF KDEM PTER LE SY IS SUBJECT: TFLE01: PATRIARCH SFEIR WANTS DISPLACED SHIA TO GO HOME ¶1. (C/NF) SUMMARY: On August 3 Ambassador and Emboff met with Patriarch Sfeir at his summer residence in Diman, North Lebanon. Concerned about sectarian tensions, Sfeir was adamant that displaced Shia in Beirut and Mount Lebanon must return to their villages without delay. Regarding Hizballah disarmament, he stressed the importance of equality among political parties and that the Lebanese Armed Forced should be the only armed group. He views his August 1 Summit of Religious Leaders as a positive step in supporting PM Sinora and his seven points. He described General Aoun as loosing credibility among the Christian community and expressed hope that President Lahoud will leave office as an aftermath of Hizballah's hoped-for disarmament. END SUMMARY Shi,a Displaced Must Go Home -------------- ¶2. (C/NF) Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir, the highest authority in Lebanon,s Maronite Christian community, noted repeatedly in the meeeing that he is troubled by the displaced Shi,a who are seeking refuge in Beirut and Mount Lebanon. He was clear that the Shia cannot remain in &this region8 and must go back to &their areas.8 He acknowledged that resettling people from Beirut,s southern suburb, where crowded ten-story apartment buildings are now flattened, would be the starkest challenge. He added that jobs and temporary housing in the south are essential to attract Shi,a out of the schools and churches where they are currently housed. ¶3. (C/NF) He warned that if immediate action is not taken to relocate the Shia back to the south they will move further into the Mount Lebanon region. Ambassador assured Sfeir that the return of displaced Shia to the south would be one of the top priorities in the post-conflict agenda. Equality For All Political Parties -------------- ¶4. (C/NF) Sfeir stressed the importance of &equality8 among all political parties. Equality means parties can speak on equal terms without certain groups having weapons. &If one community is greater than others, all communities and ultimately Lebanon will eventually disappear8 he exclaimed. Political parties must engage the political process and not be armed. ¶5. (C/NF) The Patriarch acknowledged that, even in the best case scenario, not all of Hizballah,s weapons would be destroyed during this conflict. But the arms that are left should only be in the hands of the military. Asked how Hizballah's remaining arms would be turned over to the state, the Patriarch said that Hizballah would maintain positions in the government after the conflict. The Hizballah supporters cannot be made to feel ruined or marginalized, but it must be clear that there is no room for armed political parties in the government. Queried by the Ambassador, Sfeir noted that he has had no contact with Hizballah since the commencement of the conflict. Summit of Religious Leaders -------------- ¶6. (C/NF) The Ambassador praised Sfeir,s initiative to host the August 1 Summit of Religious Leaders at his cathedral in Bkerki. The summit gathered leaders of Lebanon,s 18 confessions to show unified support for PM Sinora,s seven-point plan. Sfeir was pleased that there was no expression of sympathy for the resistance from any of the religious leaders in attendance. ¶7. (C/NF) Among the most notable attendees was Sheikh Abdel Amir Qabalan, VP of the Higher Islamic Shia Council (and an appointee of Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri). Qabalan mentioned the resistance at the summit; however, Sfeir described this as a pro-forma &obligation because he is not free to do otherwise8. Sfeir also said that on the sidelines of the summit Sheikh Mohammed Rashid Qabani, Sunni Grand Mufti, told him that all communities must be treated equally and made to feel that they have a place in Lebanon. On Lahoud, Sinora, and Aoun -------------- ¶8. (C/NF) Sfeir expressed great confidence in the work of PM Sinora. Sinora is doing a &good job8 in representing all BEIRUT 00002527 002 OF 002 constituents and Sfeir is fully supportive of Sinora,s seven points. ¶9. (C/NF) Sfeir admitted that General Aoun is allied with Hassan Nasrallah but has lost popularity among the Christian community. He also agreed that President Lahoud,s recent statements in support of the resistance are not helpful and envisioned Lahoud,s future as &outside8 the political arena. He believes that Lahoud and Aoun are not representing the Christian community well and Christians feel politically abandoned. Sfeir said that that it was possible that, as a result of this conflict and possible Hizballah disarmament, Lahoud would not complete his extended term. (Comment: Sfeir's body language and expression indicated that the Patriarch clearly hopes that this is the case.) ¶10. (C/NF) The Patriarch discounted the role of both Aoun and Lahoud in ending the violence. He acknowledged that the conflict and supply of weapons to Hizballah is not associated with Lebanon but connected to Syria and Iran. Both Syria and Iran must be convinced that their interests do not lie in arming Hizballah, an unstable Lebanon, or destroying Israel. ¶11. (C/NF) After recently meeting with the Chief of the Army, Sfeir described the military,s morale as good. He added that the military is currently not able to oppose full attacks because it does not have the needed equipment or training. However he is convinced that the military can protect Lebanon,s borders when called to do so. Comment -------------- ¶12. (C/NF) Patriarch Sfeir was in a fairly good mood, probably attributable to his pride in bringing together all official religious leaders to issue a statement that had several important messages: support for Lebanon's unity, support for the GOL and Siniora's 7-point plan, and -- most important -- support for the concept of "equality for all citizens in rights and obligations." That last phrase is Sfeir-speak for the unacceptability of Hizballah maintaining its weapons, and it is now adopted by clerics including the Berri-appointed Shia Higher Council chief. Part of our reason in traveling 90 minutes each way to see Sfeir at his summer residence was to gauge his willingness to help corner Hizballah into handing over its remaining weapons to the GOL once this conflict is over. Sfeir clearly sees the religious clerics' statement as providing such support. Sfeir's obsession in this meeting, however, was with the Shi'a refugees now packed into schools and shelters in Christian areas. It is clear that we will need to reassure him in both words and deeds that we are serious about wanting to see the Shi'a go home -- but we are racing against the clock, given that schools are supposed to open in mid-September. FELTMAN