Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06PARIS6642
2006-10-05 17:06:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Paris
Cable title:
FRENCH MFA ON HIZBALLAH, ISRAELI OVERFLIGHTS,
how-tonull Lucia A Keegan 10/11/2006 09:53:41 AM From DB/Inbox: Lucia A Keegan Cable Text: C O N F I D E N T I A L PARIS 06642 SIPDIS cxparis: ACTION: POL INFO: DAO ECON STRASBOU DCM ODC AMB ORA AGR PAO FCS SCI UNESCO DISSEMINATION: POLOUT CHARGE: PROG APPROVED: POL/AMC:BTURNER DRAFTED: POL:RWALLER CLEARED: NONE VZCZCFRI518 OO RUEHC RUEHXK RUEHZL RUCNDT DE RUEHFR #6642 2781706 ZNY CCCCC ZZH O 051706Z OCT 06 FM AMEMBASSY PARIS TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 2001 INFO RUEHXK/ARAB ISRAELI COLLECTIVE PRIORITY RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 0917
C O N F I D E N T I A L PARIS 006642
SIPDIS
NSC FOR ABRAMS/DORAN/MARCHESE/SINGH
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/05/2016
TAGS: FR IS LE PREL
SUBJECT: FRENCH MFA ON HIZBALLAH, ISRAELI OVERFLIGHTS,
SHEBA FARMS
Classified By: Acting Political Minister-Counselor Bruce Turner, reason
s 1.4 (b) and (d).
(C) Remy Bouallegue and Jean-Christophe Auge, the French MFA
desk officers for Lebanon and Syria, respectively, told
Poloff on Oct. 5 that the Quai is anxiously "reflecting" on
how to maintain the positive momentum generated by UNSCR 1701
in the months ahead. Couching their argument in terms of
"helping UNIFIL to maintain its credibility," they suggested
that an indefinite perpetuation of the status quo in Lebanon
might prompt Hizballah -- which they assess to be currently
preoccupied with domestic politics -- to resume its former
posture in the south. "One can easily imagine the new
UNIFIL, which was never intended to disarm Hizballah by
force, being criticized for proving no more effective than
the old UNIFIL," Bouallegue lamented. But the MFA's real
bugbear appears to be Israeli overflights, which Auge
deplored both as a matter of principle (one must respect
Lebanon's sovereignty) and as a matter of practicality
(Israel has an interest in strengthening PM Siniora, yet
overflights make him look weak). Acknowledging that Israel
would continue overflights for strategic reasons in the near
term, Bouallegue wondered whether the UN might develop an
intelligence-sharing mechanism that would satisfy Israel's
information needs with respect to the arms embargo against.
Turning at last to Sheba Farms, Bouallegue opined that
movement on Sheba Farms is the key to "maintaining the
positive dynamic" created by UNSCR 1701 and pressed to know
the USG's thinking; he seemed particularly taken with the
idea of putting the Sheba Farms under some form of UN
control. POLOFF noted the need to avoid the appearance of
rewarding Hizballah's violence and questioned whether
Hizballah would change its behavior even if the status of
Sheba Farms was resolved in Lebanon's favor.
Please visit Paris' Classified Website at:
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/paris/index.c fm
STAPLETON