LEBANON: SAAD HARIRI CALLS FOR SYRIAN REGIME

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 04 BEIRUT 002735 SIPDIS NOFORN SIPDIS NSC FOR ABRAMS/DORAN/MARCHESE/HARDING E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/23/2016 TAGS: PREL PTER LE SY SUBJECT: LEBANON: SAAD HARIRI CALLS FOR SYRIAN REGIME CHANGE; MAYBE IRAN TOO REF: JEDDAH 561 Classified By: Jeffrey D. Feltman, Ambassador. Reason: 1.4(d) SUMMARY -------------- ¶1. (C/NF) In a wide ranging discussion at his Qureitem home on August 22, an effusive and provocative Saad Hariri met with senior Senate Foreign Relations staffer Puneet Talwar and POLOFF (notetaker). Saying that the continued Israeli blockade of ports and airports is "killing the Cedar Revolution," Saad called instead for arming the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) and Internal Security Forces (ISF) to control the frontier with Syria and to cope with Hizballah. Saad added that while Hizballah's very survival against Israel is considered a "victory" for them, people will begin to grow disenchanted with Hizballah within a couple of weeks when the scale of the destruction begins to sink in. Some positive movement on the Sheba'a Farms issue would also help to undermine Hizballah's insistence on maintaining its weaponry. On the apparent French reluctance to take a leading role in UNIFIL-plus, Saad said he prefers the Italians take the lead and that he understands the French point of view, since as the major proponents of several UN resolutions against Syria and Hizballah, they would be putting their soldiers in a situation where they could easily become targets. ¶2. (S/NF) On the regional level, Saad said that major Arab states, most prominently Saudi Arabia, are "fed up" with Bashar al-Asad following his bullying 8/15 anti-Lebanon speech, and he implied they would not object to the USG taking a firmer stance vis-a-vis the SARG. This would include moving forward on the special tribunal with international character and engineering international sanctions on Syria. Saad himself counselled a complete regime change in Syria, with a possible replacement being a hybrid Muslim Brotherhood/ex-Baathist government more in line with the moderate Islamist government in Turkey than with the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood or Hamas. Saad also urged that the international community not send any mixed messages to the Iranians, who he said are bent on spreading their brand of revolution throughout the Middle East, to both Sunni and Shi'i. END SUMMARY. "LEBANON IS BEING KILLED" -------------- ¶3. (C/NF) Saad started right off by saying that the best way the USG can help Lebanon now is by getting the Israelis to lift "this senseless blockade" on the ports and airports. The siege is effectively strangling the Lebanese economy and not allowing the government to bring in needed humanitarian assistance (Note. The Israelis recently denied entry to a shipload of cattle, which was forced to wait off the coast. When the livestock began to die, the ship had to offload in Latakia, Syria. End Note). The government is made to look powerless to do anything about the blockade; contrast that, Saad suggested, with the images of Hizballah's "victory" over Israel and handing out $10,000 a pop to families who had lost their homes in the conflict. "Lebanon is the only moderate democracy in the Middle East," exclaimed Saad, "And it's being slowly killed!" GIVING TEETH TO THE LAF AND ISF -------------- ¶4. (C/NF) Besides, argued Saad, it's well known that Iran and Syria hardly ever use the sea and the airport, but prefer "99 per cent of the time" to bring in weapons over the land frontier. Realizing that border control remains a major problem, Saad said that "8,400 LAF troops" have been quietly deploying along the Lebanese-Syrian frontier, but that, as long as they do not have the requisite equipment, they can not be expected to do an effective job in monitoring the frontier. The same goes for the 15,000 LAF troops currently deploying in the South; Saad gave an oft-repeated laundry list of needs - trucks, cars, M-16s, fuel, ammunition, helicopters. How, Saad asked, can the army be expected to BEIRUT 00002735 002 OF 004 present an obstacle to Hizballah when it only has four hours worth of ammunition? "It's ridiculous!" ¶5. (C/NF) Dismissing the possibility that the LAF has been infiltrated by Hizballah (and the image of LAF checkpoints waving through weapons-laden Syrian trucks bound for Hizballah bunkers),Saad said that the LAF takes its mission seriously and that weapons given to the LAF would never end up in Hizballah's hands. He claimed that the army only recently came across a Hizballah stash of 70-80 missiles and confiscated them. When Hizballah demanded that the missiles be returned forthwith, the LAF refused to hand them over, according to Saad (Note. We have been unable to verify this story. End Note). Surprisingly, Hariri described the head of the LAF's G2 intelligence bureau George Khoury (generally described as pro-Syrian by other March 14 leaders like Walid Jumblatt) as "a good guy." Still, urged Saad, in order for there to be more success stories, both the LAF and the ISF (which is now has a greatly enhanced role for security at Rafiq Hariri Beirut International Airport) need to be strengthened significantly in order to effectively secure points of entry and provide an imposing central government counterweight to Hizballah's militants. UNDERSTAND THE FRENCH POSITION -------------- ¶6. (C/NF) Talwar asked Saad about the apparent French reluctance to provide a sizeable force to an augmented UNIFIL, which Saad said is based on the rational French fear that their soldiers would become targets due to their heavy involvement in diplomatic pressure on Syria and Iran. "I think the French are smart," said Saad, who is close to President Chirac; "I'd rather have the Italians lead." Saad remarked that Turkish involvement would be a major plus, since the Syrians, Iranians, and Israelis are all "afraid of the Turks." HIZBALLAH WILL LOSE ITS LUSTRE -------------- ¶7. (C/NF) Saad claims (perhaps overconfidently) that Hizballah's missile stockpile is no longer such a deterrent since it was seriously depleted during the conflict. Admitting that there is little to be done now to combat Hizballah's trumpeting of "victory" over the Israelis, since very survival means victory for Hizballah, Saad believe that once the triumphant afterglow has worn off, people will see only the destruction wrought by Hizballah's unilateral action against Israel. "In a week, two weeks," predicted Saad, "when it starts raining, and the economy's crumbling. Then people will be annoyed with Hizballah." Even the Shi'a will begin looking around and realizing that "their society has been pulverized," and while "it's fine and dandy to have 10,000 dollars, where are the jobs?! What will they eat?!" Plus, it will be hard to encourage any kind of investment in Lebanon as long as Hizballah remains armed and dangerous. ¶8. (C/NF) Saad said he has completely shut down communication with Hizballah. "I want them to change their attitude and give up their weapons. Else they will have a problem with me." When Talwar asked if Saad intends to return to the negotiating table with Hizballah, Saad dismissed the idea and quipped, "What? The national dialogue? You want me to sit in the same room with Hassan Nasrallah while the Israelis know exactly where to find him?!" BUT SHEBA'A WOULD HELP -------------- ¶9. (C/NF) Noting that the Sheba'a Farms issue is "a major key to the disarmament of Hizballah," Saad expressed shock that the Israelis may now be ready to discuss the status of the Golan with Syria, but balk at talking about Sheba'a with Lebanon. "That's a sick logic," complained Saad. Saying the reference to Sheba'a in UNSCR 1701 was a "great accomplishment," Saad hopes it will not be squandered and will be further addressed in the SYG's one month report on UNSCR 1701 implementation. BEIRUT 00002735 003 OF 004 THE HEART OF THE MATTER -------------- ¶10. (S/NF) Looking to the East, Saad said that the regimes in Syria and Iran are the biggest obstacles to peace in the region. The USG has tried for years to bring about a "change in regime behavior" in Syria, to no avail. Saad argued that nothing is really being done about Syria. Israel, he claims, protects Syria due to its fear of the unknown. "Better the enemy you know than the enemy you don't know," is how Saad views the Israeli position on the Asad regime. ¶11. (S/NF) Saad urged that now is a golden opportunity for the international community to "weaken" Bashar. The USG needs a clear, new policy to isolate Syria. "My belief is, if you don't isolate Syria, if you don't put a blockade, they will never change." By subduing Syria, you remove Iran's main bridge for playing the troublemaker in Lebanon and Palestine. "If you weaken Syria," Saad suggested, "then Iran has to work alone." The Saudis and other Arab states have all had enough of young Bashar, according to Saad, and no longer want to try a conciliatory approach to the Syrian regime. After Bashar's recent speech threatening civil war in Lebanon, they are no longer interested in "talking" with Damascus. Saad said he had hear this directly from the Saudis, and that Prince Bandar is delivering this message in Washington now (Comment. It is also interesting that Saudi Foreign Minister Saud Al-Faisal made similar comments, but about Iran specifically, during an 8/22 meeting with Ambassador Oberwetter, as reported in reftel. End Note). "The Saudis and Egyptians have turned. Look into that." When Talwar asked what the United States could do to increase the pressure on Syria, Saad suggested forging ahead on the special tribunal with international character on the Hariri assassination and organizing international sanctions on Syria. ¶12. (S/NF) Getting a little more animated as the conversation continued, Saad argued that the Syrian regime needs to be gotten rid of entirely. "This regime has always lived on conflict. It will only stop if we get rid of the regime." Saying that he had tried to play nice with Syria over the past year and a half since March 14, even asking PM Siniora to go to Damascus (as Saad put it),he asked what had this approach achieved for Lebanon. "What did it get us?" exclaimed Saad, "These people don't want us. They want (former PM) Omar Karami. People who will follow orders." ¶13. (S/NF) If the regime were to fall in Syria, who would be there to fill in the vacuum? Perplexed that the Alawites, who make up only 7-8 per cent of Syria, could rule so exclusively as "a family business" over a vast Sunni majority, Saad suggested that the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood, in partnership with ex-regime figures like Abdel Halim Khaddam and Hikmet Shehabi ("though he's still close to the regime"),could step into the void. Saad claimed that the Syrian Brotherhood is similar in character to Turkey's moderate Islamists. "They would accept a Christian or a woman as President. They accept civil government. It's like Turkey in Syria. They even support peace with Israel." Saying that he maintains close contact with Khaddam (in Paris) and Syrian Muslim Brotherhood leader-in-exile Ali Bayanuni (in London),Saad urged us to "talk to Bayanuni. See what he's like. You will see wonders." THE PROBLEM WITH PERSIA -------------- ¶14. (S/NF) But, Saad remarked, Syria is just a bridge to the bigger problem, Iran, and its network of support for Islamists including Hizballah and Hamas, is the nerve center. The Iranians are dangerous and are not about to settle down. They are hell-bent on spreading the concept of the Islamic revolution throughout the Muslim world, no matter the sect. "It's nothing to do with Shi'ism, it's the whole idea," said Saad, cautioning that if Iran gets a warhead, then "the Arabs" - presumably he means al-Qaeda-style organizations - will get one too. Saad urged that the P5 1 have a clear and unified purpose going forward in the standoff with Iran, and must be willing to go all the way if need be. "Iraq was unnecessary," claimed Saad, "Iran is necessary." BEIRUT 00002735 004 OF 004 COMMENT -------------- ¶15. (S/NF) Just as we are trying to get the Lebanese to do more internally to secure against Syrian and Iranian interference here, Saad is hoping that we can turn up the external pressure to keep Damascus and Tehran bay. Behind Saad's comments is a growing worry among Lebanese of the March 14 persuasion that the international community may decide to offer Syria a carrot following the conflict in South Lebanon (as they believe -- falsely -- Israel is doing vis-a-vis the Golan). We will continue to reassure them that our initiatives on the "special tribunal with international character" and securing the border against arms supply to Hizballah, as well as diplomatic isolation of the Syrians, will not let up. ¶16. (SBU) Mr. Talwar did not have the opportunity to clear this cable. FELTMAN