Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06BEIRUT2971
2006-09-13 15:45:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Beirut
Cable title:  

LEBANON: GHASSAN TAHER LAYS OUT PARTIAL REBUILDING

Tags:  EAID PREL LE 
pdf how-to read a cable
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FM AMEMBASSY BEIRUT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 5572
INFO RUEHEE/ARAB LEAGUE COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RHMFISS/CDR USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL PRIORITY
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC PRIORITY
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC PRIORITY
RHMFISS/HQ USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE PRIORITY
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO PRIORITY 0277
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 1136
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BEIRUT 002971 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE NEA/ELA FOR ABERCROMBIE-WHINSTANLEY/WILLIAMS/DONICK
NSC FOR ABRAMS/DORAN/MARCHESE/HARDING

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/12/2016
TAGS: EAID PREL LE
SUBJECT: LEBANON: GHASSAN TAHER LAYS OUT PARTIAL REBUILDING
STRATEGY

REF: BEIRUT 2935

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

SUMMARY
--------

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BEIRUT 002971

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE NEA/ELA FOR ABERCROMBIE-WHINSTANLEY/WILLIAMS/DONICK
NSC FOR ABRAMS/DORAN/MARCHESE/HARDING

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/12/2016
TAGS: EAID PREL LE
SUBJECT: LEBANON: GHASSAN TAHER LAYS OUT PARTIAL REBUILDING
STRATEGY

REF: BEIRUT 2935

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

SUMMARY
--------------


1. (C) During a September 11 meeting with the Ambassador
and poloff in the Grand Serail, PM Siniora's reconstruction
adviser Ghassan Taher-Fadlallah described his specific role
in the reconstruction effort, noting that he is the point
person for project coordination. Taher explained the GOL
strategy for dealing with the rebuilding of private homes in
the South and the Biqa' Valley, though admitted that the
southern suburbs are a bit more complex due to population
density and legal issues. Responding to the Ambassador's
concern that the new GOL shelter strategy will involve prefab
housing, Taher said that the orders for prefabs had already
been placed. END SUMMARY.

WHO'S IN CHARGE?
--------------


2. (C) Taher -- who recently took over in this job from
Nabil Jisr, who now heads the Council for Development and
Reconstruction (CDR) -- remarked that he had previously also
served as adviser for reconstruction under the late Prime
Minister Hariri. Jisr's recent move to the CDR, replacing
the lacklustre Fadl Shallak, means the CDR can once again
become an "active, executive arm of the government,"
according to Taher, who added that he meets with Jisr on a
daily basis. Taher noted that Finance Minister Jihad Azour
is in charge of coordinating donor pledges, while Taher is in
charge of how the money will get spent. As the person who
sets priorities and coordinates projects, says Taher, his
office should be the primary contact point for the Embassy,
whether for questions on Unexploded Ordinance, the oil spill,
housing, or any other issue. The Ambassador suggested that
PM Siniora convene a meeting of all the major donors to
clearly explain this. (Comment. While PM Siniora also gave
Taher his vote of confidence (reftel),Nabil Jisr's role --
and apparent demotion -- still remain unclear to us. End
Comment.)

REBUILDING PRIVATE HOMES OUTSIDE BEIRUT
--------------


3. (C) According to Taher, the GOL has separated the

southern suburbs from the Biqa' Valley and the South due to
the complex mix of density, property ownership, zoning, and
other legalities in the urban environment. A special
committee will be established to deal with the suburbs,
including representatives from the municipalities, the GOL,
CDR, independent engineers, and "people on the ground," which
Taher acknowledged means Hizballah and Amal. The Walid
Jumblatt-aligned Fund for the Displaced is still assessing
the extent of damages in the suburbs.


4. (C) As for the Biqa' and the South, plans have advanced
further. Producing a nifty, color-coded spreadsheet, Taher
said the GOL has identified 253 villages in the Biqa' and the
South that suffered some sort of damage in the conflict.
Taher's spreadsheet rank-orders the villages according to the
extent of the damage to private homes only (Khiam is number
one),and also differentiates on four levels -- total
destruction, partial destruction, severe damage, and partial
damage. Next to each town is listed the donor country
responsible for that town.


5. (C) Money will be disbursed according to what category
the home falls under. For a totally demolished house, the
homeowner will receive a full 60 million Lebanese lira
($40,000) for rebuilding the home, installing fixtures, and
buying new furniture. For a partially demolished home, the
homeowner will receive 70 percent of that. For severe
damage, the amount is 40 percent. Lastly, for partial
damage, they will receive 10 percent. Based on this formula,
Taher estimates the cost for rebuilding private homes in the
South and Biqa' will amount to $843 million, with Saudi
Arabia bearing the lion's share of that with $212 million,

BEIRUT 00002971 002 OF 002


Qatar with $154 million, and Kuwait and UAE each with $100
million. Taher acknowledged that there is still a shortfall
to fill.


6. (C) According to Taher, there will be no generic
rebuilding of private homes; each family will take control of
constructing their own home. As the construction progresses,
money will be disbursed directly from the donors' accounts.
This will not be based on invoices, which Taher says are
"useless" and can easily be forged. Instead, assessment
teams from the Council for the South, the CDR, and the Fund
for the Displaced will set benchmarks for reconstruction
costs -- for example, that a window pane cannot cost more
than $100 -- to which homebuilders must adhere. When the
Ambassador expressed reservations about the history of
corruption of all three organizations, Taher assured him that
"no money will pass through them." Taher claimed that
Speaker Nabih Berri -- whose wife Randa previously used the
Council for the South as her personal ATM -- has agreed to
this arrangement. (Comment: One can still see room for
Randa Berri's style of corruption. Take the case of the $100
window pane. Maybe a homeowner who needs one window pane
replaced makes a deal with a CDR official to claim two. The
CDR official will certify that two panes were replaced, and
the official and the homeowner split the proceeds of the
second, phantom pane. End comment.)

STILL STUCK ON PREFABS
--------------


7. (C) Concerned by the GOL decision to change the shelter
strategy previously agreed upon with UNHCR, the Ambassador
expressed USG reservations about the intention to rely on
prefab housing to "temporarily" shelter those left homeless
by the conflict. Taher acknowledged that not all prefabs
will come in the same shape and size, and that jealousies
will develop if one town receives nicer prefabs than a
next-door town, but he noted that the die is already cast
since the prefabs have been ordered. He said that they would
be receiving 50 from Saudi Arabia and 750 from Turkey (though
it is not clear if this is just an initial delivery).

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


8. (C) While this was a refreshingly detailed meeting, and
though Taher is a smart, urbane interlocutor with a private
sector mentality, it is clear the GOL still has a long way to
go. Not only do Taher and co. still need to come up with a
plan for rebuilding public facilities, but they must also
sort through the legal, ethical, and political morass of the
southern suburbs. We hope though that Siniora can give Taher
(a Shi'i) a much more public role in the reconstruction
effort, not only because of his confession, but also because
of his competence. While we were relieved in this meeting to
see that much more was happening than we had known, we also
felt, as we flipped through the detailed charts and graphs,
that we had been admitted into an industrious secret society.
The GOL's reconstruction efforts should not be kept under
wraps, and we hope Taher will be able to convince Siniora to
convene a broader donor meeting.
FELTMAN