Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06BEIRUT2604
2006-08-12 16:22:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Beirut
Cable title:  

LEBANON: SALLOUKH PREDICTS CABINET APPROVAL OF

Tags:  MOPS PTER PREL LE SY IS 
pdf how-to read a cable
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C O N F I D E N T I A L BEIRUT 002604 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

NSC FOR ABRAMS/DORAN/SINGH/HARDING

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/12/2016
TAGS: MOPS PTER PREL LE SY IS
SUBJECT: LEBANON: SALLOUKH PREDICTS CABINET APPROVAL OF
RESOLUTION

REF: A. BEIRUT 2600

Classified By: Jeffrey D. Feltman, Ambassador. Reason: 1.4(d).

C O N F I D E N T I A L BEIRUT 002604

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

NSC FOR ABRAMS/DORAN/SINGH/HARDING

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/12/2016
TAGS: MOPS PTER PREL LE SY IS
SUBJECT: LEBANON: SALLOUKH PREDICTS CABINET APPROVAL OF
RESOLUTION

REF: A. BEIRUT 2600

Classified By: Jeffrey D. Feltman, Ambassador. Reason: 1.4(d).


1. (C) Summary: In a meeting with Ambassador Feltman and
poloff (notetaker) on August 12, Lebanese Foreign Minister
Fawzi Salloukh, joined by three of his MFA staff, urged that
the Israeli blockade be lifted as soon as possible, but
brushed aside concerns that arms smuggling will resume
without an effective verification mechanism at ports,
airports, and the border. Salloukh, a Shi'ite who is closely
allied to Speaker Nabih Berri, is also eager to shorten the
timeframe between the LAF/UNIFIL-plus deployment and the IDF
withdrawal in order to avoid a breakdown in the cessation of
hostilities. In a brief aside with the Ambassador following
the meeting, Salloukh said he anticipates the Cabinet will
approve UNSCR 1701 during its session on the evening of
August 12. End Summary.


2. (C) Expressing concern that Israeli has continued and
even expanded its military action in Lebanon, including
aerial operations, despite the August 11 passage of UNSCR
1701, Salloukh hoped that the next few days would see the
situation on the ground stabilize. He urged that both
parties take action to protect civilians in the interim
period, which Salloukh hoped would be shortened to the extent
possible.


3. (C) Salloukh argued for the reopening of ports and
airports, and even land links to Syria, as soon as possible
in order to provide humanitarian assistance to the
hardest-hit areas. The Ambassador urged that the GOL must do
more to convince the Israelis that the ports of entry will be
effectively monitored to block arms smuggling. The
Ambassador recommended that the GOL consider employing UNIFIL
or a private security firm to help with this, and that these
steps may be taken quietly.


4. (C) Salloukh at first tried the head-in-the-sand
approach, arguing that, "there will be no more wars (in
Lebanon),so arms will not be needed." Observing that this
argument had not struck home, Salloukh then suggested the
issue be finessed for the time being so as not to muddy the
waters during Lebanese deliberations over the resolution.
"We need to accept the resolution first. We shouldn't
anticipate issues down the road. This needs time." The
Ambassador again urged that the GOL take the initiative on
the issue of monitoring points of entry.


5. (C) In a private chat with the Ambassador following the
meeting, Salloukh asked whether the USG was "pleased with
Berri" following the Speaker's August 11 meeting with A/S
Welch and the Ambassador (reftel). Salloukh noted that the
Speaker had worked very hard the night of August 11 in order
to get Hizballah on board with the resolution, and that he
believes Hizballah will approve the resolution during the
Cabinet session.

COMMENT
--------------

6. (C) This meeting came before Iranian FM Mottaki's speech
in Yemen calling the resolution unacceptable, so we will wait
to see if Salloukh's prediction of Hizballah approval still
holds after this evening's session. As we have noted from
many of our meetings over the past week, many Lebanese
portray the Speaker, with some justice, as the glue holding
together a Lebanese consensus on a way out of the conflict
with Israel. Salloukh certainly hoped to build the Speaker
up in our eyes.


7. (C) Unfortunately, Salloukh's waffling on the issue of
monitoring of points of entry does not augur well on getting
the ports and airports reopened quickly. However, we hope
that Berri can agree to some arrangement which the Israelis
find sufficient, and which he can get Hizballah to accept.
In order to portray himself, not Hizballah, as the primary
facilitator in the reconstruction of the South, Berri needs
the ports and airports open. We should keep this in mind in
urging the GOL to come up with an acceptable monitoring
mechanism.
FELTMAN