Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06BEIRUT3902
2006-12-28 06:39:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Beirut
Cable title:
LEBANON: PARIS III STILL ON TRACK
how-toVZCZCXRO5103 PP RUEHAG RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHKUK RUEHROV DE RUEHLB #3902 3620639 ZNY CCCCC ZZH P 280639Z DEC 06 FM AMEMBASSY BEIRUT TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 6999 INFO RUEHEE/ARAB LEAGUE COLLECTIVE RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO 0681 RHMFISS/CDR USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
C O N F I D E N T I A L BEIRUT 003902
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
NSC FOR ABRAMS/DORAN/MARCHESE/HARDING
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/03/2016
TAGS: EFIN PGOV PREL LE
SUBJECT: LEBANON: PARIS III STILL ON TRACK
Classified By: Ambassador Jeffrey Feltman for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)
C O N F I D E N T I A L BEIRUT 003902
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
NSC FOR ABRAMS/DORAN/MARCHESE/HARDING
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/03/2016
TAGS: EFIN PGOV PREL LE
SUBJECT: LEBANON: PARIS III STILL ON TRACK
Classified By: Ambassador Jeffrey Feltman for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)
1. (C) On December 27 Econoff and Econstaff met at the
Ministry of Finance with the team working on Paris III and
briefly with Minister Jihad Azour. The purpose of the
meeting was to assess the progress towards the donor
conference, still scheduled to be held in Paris on January
25, 2007. The team has finished the program and matrix to be
shared with the donors. While they were willing to discuss
it, a hard copy will not yet be shared outside of the
Ministry and the international Core Group. The report will
be shared with the GOL cabinet on Tuesday, January 2, in
anticipation of a cabinet meeting 48 hours later, as
stipulated in the constitution. At that point the program
will be public.
2. (C) Invitations to the conference were sent out by French
President Jacques Chirac on November 14, and post has a list
of invitees which is available if requested. There will be a
pre-meeting in Paris on January 10 for final preparations.
This will be attended by the donor Core Group. In addition,
the team expects that the IMF will visit Lebanon again in
January, but does not have an exact date. The IMF has been
involved throughout the preparation of the program. In the
eyes of the team, the program is much more detailed than that
of Paris II, and should not contain any surprises. The GOL
has been involved in planning this conference since 2005, and
therefore all members of the government, including the
current opposition, took part in the development of the core
plan. However, there was some indication that the GOL will
make an effort to separate the conference and the reform plan
from the current governmental crisis, so that it could
continue to roll out no matter what the outcome of the events
currently taking place in Beirut. It was unclear, however,
if there is a plan to make that work.
3. (C) The program does not stipulate what is needed in
terms of grants vs. loans, but the gap between what can be
achieved by stringent economic reforms, on the one hand, and
the deficit on the other will be identified. In addition,
the plan identifies what laws need to be enacted, as well as
the more than fifty laws already in place which need to be
enforced in order for the reforms to take place. The program
appears to be comprehensive, but all acknowledged that it
could easily be picked apart and criticized by opponents.
FELTMAN
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
NSC FOR ABRAMS/DORAN/MARCHESE/HARDING
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/03/2016
TAGS: EFIN PGOV PREL LE
SUBJECT: LEBANON: PARIS III STILL ON TRACK
Classified By: Ambassador Jeffrey Feltman for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)
1. (C) On December 27 Econoff and Econstaff met at the
Ministry of Finance with the team working on Paris III and
briefly with Minister Jihad Azour. The purpose of the
meeting was to assess the progress towards the donor
conference, still scheduled to be held in Paris on January
25, 2007. The team has finished the program and matrix to be
shared with the donors. While they were willing to discuss
it, a hard copy will not yet be shared outside of the
Ministry and the international Core Group. The report will
be shared with the GOL cabinet on Tuesday, January 2, in
anticipation of a cabinet meeting 48 hours later, as
stipulated in the constitution. At that point the program
will be public.
2. (C) Invitations to the conference were sent out by French
President Jacques Chirac on November 14, and post has a list
of invitees which is available if requested. There will be a
pre-meeting in Paris on January 10 for final preparations.
This will be attended by the donor Core Group. In addition,
the team expects that the IMF will visit Lebanon again in
January, but does not have an exact date. The IMF has been
involved throughout the preparation of the program. In the
eyes of the team, the program is much more detailed than that
of Paris II, and should not contain any surprises. The GOL
has been involved in planning this conference since 2005, and
therefore all members of the government, including the
current opposition, took part in the development of the core
plan. However, there was some indication that the GOL will
make an effort to separate the conference and the reform plan
from the current governmental crisis, so that it could
continue to roll out no matter what the outcome of the events
currently taking place in Beirut. It was unclear, however,
if there is a plan to make that work.
3. (C) The program does not stipulate what is needed in
terms of grants vs. loans, but the gap between what can be
achieved by stringent economic reforms, on the one hand, and
the deficit on the other will be identified. In addition,
the plan identifies what laws need to be enacted, as well as
the more than fifty laws already in place which need to be
enforced in order for the reforms to take place. The program
appears to be comprehensive, but all acknowledged that it
could easily be picked apart and criticized by opponents.
FELTMAN