Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06BEIRUT2721
2006-08-22 14:11:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Beirut
Cable title:
LEBANON: ARMENIAN PARTY OPPOSES TURKISH DEPLOYMENT
how-toVZCZCXRO7566 OO RUEHAG RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHKUK DE RUEHLB #2721/01 2341411 ZNY CCCCC ZZH O 221411Z AUG 06 FM AMEMBASSY BEIRUT TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 5186 INFO RUEHEE/ARAB LEAGUE COLLECTIVE PRIORITY RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE PRIORITY RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA PRIORITY 3345 RUEHYE/AMEMBASSY YEREVAN PRIORITY 0043 RHMFISS/CDR USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL PRIORITY RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC PRIORITY RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC PRIORITY RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO PRIORITY 0148
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BEIRUT 002721
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
NSC FOR ABRAMS/DORAN/MARCHESE/HARDING
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/22/2016
TAGS: PREL MOPS LE AR TU
SUBJECT: LEBANON: ARMENIAN PARTY OPPOSES TURKISH DEPLOYMENT
TO UNIFIL
Classified By: Jeffrey D. Feltman, Ambassador. Reason: 1.4(d).
SUMMARY
--------
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BEIRUT 002721
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
NSC FOR ABRAMS/DORAN/MARCHESE/HARDING
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/22/2016
TAGS: PREL MOPS LE AR TU
SUBJECT: LEBANON: ARMENIAN PARTY OPPOSES TURKISH DEPLOYMENT
TO UNIFIL
Classified By: Jeffrey D. Feltman, Ambassador. Reason: 1.4(d).
SUMMARY
--------------
1. (C) The largest Armenian-Lebanese political party, the
Tashnag, opposes deployment of Turkish troops as part of an
augmented UNIFIL in southern Lebanon. On August 18, the
Tashnag sent a petition to the Ambassador listing its
concerns. Poloff also discussed the issue with Tashnag
Member of Parliament Hagop Pakradounian on August 22.
Pakradounian said that the Tashnag has also raised its
concerns with PM Fouad Siniora, Speaker Nabih Berri,
President Emile Lahoud, and with the office of the UNSYG's
Personal Representative in Lebanon, Geir Pedersen. The
Ambassador will meet with representatives from the Tashnag
party, including Pakradounian, on August 24. While the
majority of the 150,000 Lebanese of Armenian descent live in
and around Beirut, there is a small pocket in the eastern
Bekaa valley town of Aanjar (formerly the site of Syrian
intelligence headquarters in Lebanon),near the border with
Syria. END SUMMARY.
2. (C) On August 18, the Embassy political section received
a petition addressed to the Ambassador from the central
committee of the Tashnag party expressing the party's
opposition to the potential deployment of Turkish troops as
part of an expanded UNIFIL (though it supports UNSCR 1701).
Below is an excerpt from the text:
BEGIN TEXT:
Having the positive and welcoming consideration of the 11th
point of the UNSCR 1701 regarding the deployment of
international peacekeeping forces in South Lebanon, we would
like to invite your kind attention to the serious issue of
including Turkish army units in the proposed peacekeeping
forces, which might disturb the efforts that are put forward
till now or will be engaged in the future to bring peace and
stability within the Lebanese society and the south of the
country in general.
A. We strongly believe that any participant force in the
UNIFIL should at least enjoy a neutral position with all
parties of conflict; the Turkish government has long ago lost
its neutrality and any possible role of mediation since the
mid-1990s when it has signed military cooperation agreements
with Israel and participated in the deterrence of the Arab
World.
B. Turkey's hostile foreign policy in the region,
especially, with its immediate neighbors is valid evidence to
prove our concerns regarding Turkey's peacekeeping missions
in the south of the country. Furthermore, Turkey still
occupies northern Cyprus, continues to blockade Armenia, and
denies recognizing the Armenian genocide.
C. Turkey's Human Rights record, poor respect of law,
violations of the rights of minorities, and most of all, its
army's interference in politics does not qualify it to
participate in UNIFIL's highly delicate and challenging
mission.
D. We strongly believe that any participant force in the
UNIFIL should be welcomed by the whole Lebanese society; the
Turkish record of persecution and authoritarian rule in
Lebanon has left deep scars in the collective memory of the
Lebanese people.
E. We, as Lebanese from Armenian origin, and as a large part
of the Lebanese society, have long suffered from the Turkish
massacres and Genocide; therefore we do oppose any Turkish
participation in UNIFIL; the Armenian Genocide in 1915 and
our presence in Lebanon since then speaks volumes.
Today, we firmly believe that Turkey's readiness to send
peacekeeping forces to Lebanon would jeopardize the
neutrality of the UNIFIL and distract its peacekeeping
objective. Therefore, we come forward to share with you our
concerns and objections to such a desire by the Turkish
government.
BEIRUT 00002721 002 OF 002
On behalf of the Lebanese-Armenian citizens we call on your
country, as a member of the Security Council, to oppose any
deployment of Turkish troops on the Lebanese soil.
END TEXT.
3. (C) Poloff spoke with Tashnag MP Hagop Pakradounian on
August 22 to review the party's concerns. Pakradounian
reiterated the party's objection to a Turkish deployment
based on Turkey's "history of genocide." He added that
Lebanon is moving into a "reconciliatory phase," and that
nothing should be done now to upset any of the confessional
communities in Lebanon. Poloff asked if Pakradounian had
raised his party's objections with anyone else in the
Lebanese government, and he replied that the Tashnag has
spoken with PM Siniora, Speaker Berri, and President Lahoud,
as well as the office of UN representative Geir Pedersen.
From Pakradounian's account of their meeting, Siniora was
sympathetic to Armenian-Lebanese concerns but unwilling to
oppose any Turkish deployment since these forces would be a
critical element in an augmented UNIFIL force. Pakradounian
said that Tashnag representatives have met with several
embassies, and have requested a meeting with the French
embassy, with no reply as yet.
4. (C) The Ambassador and poloff will meet with a Tashnag
delegation, including Pakradounian, on August 24. While we
will take note of the Armenian-Lebanese concerns, we will
reiterate that the USG does not intend to veto any particular
nation's contribution to the augmented UNIFIL (which is also
the position of the Lebanese government). We would welcome
any additional insights from the Department and Embassies
Yerevan and Ankara before this meeting.
5. (C) Comment: The Tashnag in Lebanon has traditionally
allied itself with the Lebanese presidency, not so much for
ideological reasons but in hopes of garnering protection for
a small, non-Arab minority. For the same reasons, the
Tashnag joined Michel Aoun's electoral alliance for the
May-June 2005 legislative elections, and MP Pakradounian is
part of Aoun's bloc. That means that the Tashnag's current
allies -- Emile Lahoud and Michel Aoun -- are themselves
allies of Hizballah. But we believe that the Tashnag's
concerns about Turkish participation are sincere, not rooted
in some attempt to protect Hizballah by opposing UNIFIL
deployment. End comment.
FELTMAN
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
NSC FOR ABRAMS/DORAN/MARCHESE/HARDING
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/22/2016
TAGS: PREL MOPS LE AR TU
SUBJECT: LEBANON: ARMENIAN PARTY OPPOSES TURKISH DEPLOYMENT
TO UNIFIL
Classified By: Jeffrey D. Feltman, Ambassador. Reason: 1.4(d).
SUMMARY
--------------
1. (C) The largest Armenian-Lebanese political party, the
Tashnag, opposes deployment of Turkish troops as part of an
augmented UNIFIL in southern Lebanon. On August 18, the
Tashnag sent a petition to the Ambassador listing its
concerns. Poloff also discussed the issue with Tashnag
Member of Parliament Hagop Pakradounian on August 22.
Pakradounian said that the Tashnag has also raised its
concerns with PM Fouad Siniora, Speaker Nabih Berri,
President Emile Lahoud, and with the office of the UNSYG's
Personal Representative in Lebanon, Geir Pedersen. The
Ambassador will meet with representatives from the Tashnag
party, including Pakradounian, on August 24. While the
majority of the 150,000 Lebanese of Armenian descent live in
and around Beirut, there is a small pocket in the eastern
Bekaa valley town of Aanjar (formerly the site of Syrian
intelligence headquarters in Lebanon),near the border with
Syria. END SUMMARY.
2. (C) On August 18, the Embassy political section received
a petition addressed to the Ambassador from the central
committee of the Tashnag party expressing the party's
opposition to the potential deployment of Turkish troops as
part of an expanded UNIFIL (though it supports UNSCR 1701).
Below is an excerpt from the text:
BEGIN TEXT:
Having the positive and welcoming consideration of the 11th
point of the UNSCR 1701 regarding the deployment of
international peacekeeping forces in South Lebanon, we would
like to invite your kind attention to the serious issue of
including Turkish army units in the proposed peacekeeping
forces, which might disturb the efforts that are put forward
till now or will be engaged in the future to bring peace and
stability within the Lebanese society and the south of the
country in general.
A. We strongly believe that any participant force in the
UNIFIL should at least enjoy a neutral position with all
parties of conflict; the Turkish government has long ago lost
its neutrality and any possible role of mediation since the
mid-1990s when it has signed military cooperation agreements
with Israel and participated in the deterrence of the Arab
World.
B. Turkey's hostile foreign policy in the region,
especially, with its immediate neighbors is valid evidence to
prove our concerns regarding Turkey's peacekeeping missions
in the south of the country. Furthermore, Turkey still
occupies northern Cyprus, continues to blockade Armenia, and
denies recognizing the Armenian genocide.
C. Turkey's Human Rights record, poor respect of law,
violations of the rights of minorities, and most of all, its
army's interference in politics does not qualify it to
participate in UNIFIL's highly delicate and challenging
mission.
D. We strongly believe that any participant force in the
UNIFIL should be welcomed by the whole Lebanese society; the
Turkish record of persecution and authoritarian rule in
Lebanon has left deep scars in the collective memory of the
Lebanese people.
E. We, as Lebanese from Armenian origin, and as a large part
of the Lebanese society, have long suffered from the Turkish
massacres and Genocide; therefore we do oppose any Turkish
participation in UNIFIL; the Armenian Genocide in 1915 and
our presence in Lebanon since then speaks volumes.
Today, we firmly believe that Turkey's readiness to send
peacekeeping forces to Lebanon would jeopardize the
neutrality of the UNIFIL and distract its peacekeeping
objective. Therefore, we come forward to share with you our
concerns and objections to such a desire by the Turkish
government.
BEIRUT 00002721 002 OF 002
On behalf of the Lebanese-Armenian citizens we call on your
country, as a member of the Security Council, to oppose any
deployment of Turkish troops on the Lebanese soil.
END TEXT.
3. (C) Poloff spoke with Tashnag MP Hagop Pakradounian on
August 22 to review the party's concerns. Pakradounian
reiterated the party's objection to a Turkish deployment
based on Turkey's "history of genocide." He added that
Lebanon is moving into a "reconciliatory phase," and that
nothing should be done now to upset any of the confessional
communities in Lebanon. Poloff asked if Pakradounian had
raised his party's objections with anyone else in the
Lebanese government, and he replied that the Tashnag has
spoken with PM Siniora, Speaker Berri, and President Lahoud,
as well as the office of UN representative Geir Pedersen.
From Pakradounian's account of their meeting, Siniora was
sympathetic to Armenian-Lebanese concerns but unwilling to
oppose any Turkish deployment since these forces would be a
critical element in an augmented UNIFIL force. Pakradounian
said that Tashnag representatives have met with several
embassies, and have requested a meeting with the French
embassy, with no reply as yet.
4. (C) The Ambassador and poloff will meet with a Tashnag
delegation, including Pakradounian, on August 24. While we
will take note of the Armenian-Lebanese concerns, we will
reiterate that the USG does not intend to veto any particular
nation's contribution to the augmented UNIFIL (which is also
the position of the Lebanese government). We would welcome
any additional insights from the Department and Embassies
Yerevan and Ankara before this meeting.
5. (C) Comment: The Tashnag in Lebanon has traditionally
allied itself with the Lebanese presidency, not so much for
ideological reasons but in hopes of garnering protection for
a small, non-Arab minority. For the same reasons, the
Tashnag joined Michel Aoun's electoral alliance for the
May-June 2005 legislative elections, and MP Pakradounian is
part of Aoun's bloc. That means that the Tashnag's current
allies -- Emile Lahoud and Michel Aoun -- are themselves
allies of Hizballah. But we believe that the Tashnag's
concerns about Turkish participation are sincere, not rooted
in some attempt to protect Hizballah by opposing UNIFIL
deployment. End comment.
FELTMAN