QATARI AMIR: AFTER ARAB "VICTORY," TIME TO TALK

C O N F I D E N T I A L DOHA 001265

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/21/2016
TAGS: PREL IS LE QA
SUBJECT: QATARI AMIR: AFTER ARAB "VICTORY," TIME TO TALK
PEACE


Classified By: Ambassador Chase Untermeyer for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (U) Qatari Amir Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani made the first
visit to Lebanon by an Arab leader after the end of the
recent fighting. Following a tour of bombed-out areas of
southern Beirut, he held a press conference with Lebanese
President Lahoud carried live on Al Jazeera, in which he said
"the Lebanese people and the Lebanese resistance have
achieved the first Arab victory -- something we had longed
for." He appeared to criticize talk of disarming Hizballah,
saying "to ban weapons for Lebanese while allowing them for
the Israelis makes Lebanon an easy target for Israel at any
time, which is unacceptable." Responding to questions about
Syria's role in the region, the Amir said President al-Asad
asked him to carry an invitation to Prime Minister Siniora to
visit Damascus at any time. Syria is ready for peace, the
Amir said, and "the faster we move toward peace, the better
it is for the region."


2. (C) In a meeting with Ambassador August 22, Mohamed
al-Rumaihy, Assistant to Qatar's Foreign Minister, said that
the Amir's statements were a "reaction to what happened on
the ground" and were necessary to restore a degree of Arab
pride after multiple losses in wars against Israel and needed
as a precursor to broader negotiations for a regional peace.
Rumaihy said that Israel had bombed without regard for the
Lebanese government or people, and Arab public opinion on
this point was important. Regarding the Amir's use of the
word "resistance," Rumaihy tried to suggest that this
referred not to Hizballah but to "resistance against attack;
defending one's country."


3. (C) Rumaihy said the war had not achieved anything for
either side - no progress had been made. However, it is
important to "tell people they got what they want" and then
push for a wider peace. "Our goal is to help the parties get
to peace, and we want Israel to help," he said.


4. (C) Rumaihy said that Qatari officials believe now is the
time to push for a wider peace in the region. "Egypt will
approach the Israelis, and Qatar will approach the Israelis,"
he said. This is a component, he said, of an Arab League
initiative to revive the Middle East peace process. Rumaihy
said that Qatar is more optimistic now because it was able to
achieve certain goals on behalf of Arab states in the United
Nations Security Council. He also said Qatar hopes the U.S.
would also support an Arab League-led initiative in the UN.


5. (C) Rumaihy's remarks were paralleled by those of an
official in the Amiri diwan who told POLOFF August 22 that
that the Lebanese had not won a victory and that Hizballah is
a danger because it is acting as a "state within a state."
But for humanitarian reasons, the Amir needed to say what he
did. It was also likely that he was personally affected by
sights of the devastation. But he noted that the Amir sent
signals to other parties - openly admitting that he had
obtained Israeli permission to land at Beirut's airport, for
example. The Diwani official said that the Amir's mission
was to pave the way to a wider peace. He paraphrased the
Amir's message: "You've won; now it's time for peace."

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COMMENT
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6. (C) The Amir arrived in Beirut after visits to Cairo and
Damascus, and his objective appears to be reconciling Arab
states in preparation for a Qatari or Arab League peace
initiative. While the Amir's comments were no doubt a
sincere reflection of his feelings after a moving visit to
Beirut's southern suburbs and a response to popular anger at
Israel, we believe his main focus is on turning the page on
this episode and moving toward negotiations on a broader
Middle East peace - negotiations in which Qatar wants to be a
major player.
UNTERMEYER