BAHRAIN: LEBANON SECURITY COUNCIL RESOLUTION AND

C O N F I D E N T I A L MANAMA 001447 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/06/2016 TAGS: PREL BA LE IS UN REGION ROW SUBJECT: BAHRAIN: LEBANON SECURITY COUNCIL RESOLUTION AND ARAB LEAGUE MINISTERIAL REF: A. STATE 128442 ¶B. STATE 128426 Classified By: CDA Susan L. Ziadeh for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) Pol/Econ Chief August 6 delivered Ref A and B demarches concerning the UN Security Council draft resolution on Lebanon and August 7 Arab League (AL) meeting in Beirut to MFA Director for Bilateral Affairs Dhafer Al Umran. (Note: With the Minister outside the country on vacation and the Assistant Under Secretary having just returned from vacation, Al Umran was the senior-most MFA official available.) Al Umran listened closely to both demarches and flagged his concerns with the current state-of-play. He noted that the Lebanese Government had already signaled its unhappiness with the draft resolution and said that PM Siniora would benefit from political cover provided by Arab foreign ministers at the August 7 meeting. Al Umran thought that while Hizballah has the support of the Lebanese (and Arab) street, Siniora is the main player in Lebanese politics, and backing from the AL ministers would give him additional authority and flexibility in negotiating the UNSC draft resolution. ¶2. (C) Indicating that he was expressing his personal views and not an official position of the GOB, Al Umran said he was most concerned that the international community deal with the full return of displaced persons from south Lebanon, immediate humanitarian assistance, and long-term reconstruction of the country. Referring to the article in the draft resolution addressing the deployment of an international force in Lebanon, he emphasized that displaced southerners must be able to return to their homes. In the past, internal refugees living in Beirut had caused enormous problems for Lebanon, and the current displaced population could do the same if they settled in Beirut. ¶3. (C) On a political level, Al Umran said that Israel had made a mistake by targeting Lebanon's infrastructure and civilian areas. "No one would give a damn if Israel hit Hizballah fighters," he said. But by damaging the infrastructure, Israel had transformed Hizballah from "aggressors to defenders." ********************************************* ******** Visit Embassy Manama's Classified Website: http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/manama/ ********************************************* ******** ZIADEH