Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06PARIS7684
2006-12-06 13:08:00
SECRET
Embassy Paris
Cable title:  

DOD U/S EDELMAN'S DECEMBER 1 MEETING WITH CHIRAC'S

Tags:  FR IS KDEM LE PGOV PREL SY 
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VZCZCXRO7796
OO RUEHDBU RUEHFL RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHROV
DE RUEHFR #7684/01 3401308
ZNY SSSSS ZZH
O 061308Z DEC 06
FM AMEMBASSY PARIS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3587
INFO RUEHXK/ARAB ISRAELI COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 1046
S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 03 PARIS 007684 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/03/2016
TAGS: FR IS KDEM LE PGOV PREL SY
SUBJECT: DOD U/S EDELMAN'S DECEMBER 1 MEETING WITH CHIRAC'S
DIPLOMATIC ADVISER GOURDALT-MONTAGNE

Classified By: Political Minister-Counselor Josiah Rosenblatt, reasons
1.4 (b) and (d).

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 03 PARIS 007684

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/03/2016
TAGS: FR IS KDEM LE PGOV PREL SY
SUBJECT: DOD U/S EDELMAN'S DECEMBER 1 MEETING WITH CHIRAC'S
DIPLOMATIC ADVISER GOURDALT-MONTAGNE

Classified By: Political Minister-Counselor Josiah Rosenblatt, reasons
1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (S) Summary: In a December 1 meeting with DoD U/S Edelman
devoted primarily to Syria/Lebanon, French NSA-equivalent
Maurice Gourdault-Montagne (MGM) assessed that Syria was the
weakest link in the Hizballah-Syria-Iran axis and wondered
whether Israel could apply more pressure on Syria, a question
he said he would put to his Israeli counterpart later in the
month. He assessed that the recent spate of high-level
European visitors to Damascus had not been helpful, and said
rumors about the Iraq Study Group's possible recommendations
on engaging with Syria had further complicated matters. MGM
noted that Pierre de Bousquet, head of the DST (French
internal security service),had quietly visited Damascus to
warn the Asad regime that it would be held accountable for
chaos in Lebanon and for any attacks against UNIFIL.
Bousquet also cautioned the Syrians that French policy
vis-a-vis Lebanon would not change even after President
Chirac leaves office in 2007. With respect to the current
political crisis in Lebanon, MGM said France was putting
"maximum pressure" on Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri,
although it was unclear what Berri could do under the
circumstances.


2. (S) Summary cont'd: MGM discussed continuing French
efforts to end Israeli overflights of Lebanon. On Turkey-EU,
MGM said it was not in France's interest to burn bridges with
Turkey, and pointed out that President Chirac had taken a
political risk by speaking out against legislation on the
Armenian genocide. On Serbia, MGM said that "we need to do
everything we can" to prevent Serbian Radical Party leader
(and indicted war criminal) Vojislav Seselj from being
elected. Riga summit discussion septel. End summary.

Participants
--------------


3. (U) DoD U/S Eric Edelman, accompanied by DCM, DATT, DoD
DAS Daniel Fata, and Poloff (notetaker),met December 1 at
the Elysee with Maurice Gourdault-Montagne (MGM),French
national security advisor-equivalent. MGM was accompanied by

Dominique Boche, President Chirac's advisor for the Middle
East; Admiral Edouard Guillaud, the president's military
advisor; and strategic affairs advisor Laurent Bili.

Dealing with a Recalcitrant Syria
--------------


4. (S) After a quick discussion of the Riga Summit (see
septel),conversation immediately turned to the Middle East.
U/S Edelman and MGM agreed that Syrian behavior on a broad
range of issues -- support for Iraqi insurgents, interference
in Lebanon, and sponsorship of Hamas, Hizballah and
Palestinian Islamic Jihad -- had not improved. MGM assessed
that Syria was the weakest link in the Hizballah-Syria-Iran
axis and therefore the logical target for international
pressure. However, he confessed to being somewhat puzzled by
Israel's failure to take a more aggressive line with Syria.
He said he would use a meeting later in December with PM
Olmert's military advisor, Major General Gadi Shamni, to
discuss strategy and to explore whether Israel could apply
more pressure.


5. (C) MGM assessed that the recent spate of high-level
European visitors to Damascus had been unhelpful, and had
only reinforced Bashar al-Asad's perception that the West
needed him. Noting that Asad's European interlocutors had
left Damascus empty-handed, MGM said he had warned British
envoy Nigel Sheinwald that his visit would prove
counterproductive, particularly if it became public.
Although Sheinwald was "upbeat" following his discussions in
Damascus, MGM observed that the Syrians (with Iranian
complicity) had lost no time in "pulling the rug out from
under" the Lebanese government by engineering the resignation
of the Shiite Ministers and the assassination of Pierre
Gemayel. MGM pointed out that rumors about the Iraq Study
Group's (ISG) forthcoming recommendations, and in particular
the expectation that the ISG would recommend some sort of
U.S. dialogue with Syria, had further complicated matters.

De Bosquet Visit to Damascus
--------------


6. (C) MGM noted that, unfortunately, the French found
themselves obliged to talk to the Syrian regime on matters
relating to the interdiction and prosecution of French
jihadists seeking to enter Iraq via Syria. To that end, the
French had recently despatched Pierre de Bousquet, head of
the DST (French internal security service) to Damascus, where

PARIS 00007684 002 OF 003


he held talks with Syrian military intelligence chief Assef
Shawkat. MGM said Bousquet made the following points:

-- Syria will be held responsible for any chaos in Lebanon;
-- Syria will also be held accountable for any attacks
against UNIFIL;
-- Constructive Syrian behavior would elicit a positive
reaction;
-- If the Syrians behaved, France would support a resumption
of talks on the Golan Heights.


7. (C) Finally, Bousquet warned the regime against
miscalculating the future direction of French policy. While
it was true that President Chirac was nearing the end of his
mandate, France would still be France even after Chirac's
departure -- and its Lebanon policy would be the same. (MGM
noted parenthetically that he was pleased to see that
France's Socialist Party was on board with that message.
Socialist presidential candidate Segolene Royal, then in
Lebanon, had made this clear.) Intriguingly, Shawkat invited
Bousquet to make those same points directly to Asad, a
request that the French interpreted either as evidence either
that Asad did not listen to Shawkat, or that the latter
needed Bousquet to personally reinforce the message. MGM
said the Bousquet-Asad conversation had not yet taken place.

Brammertz Investigation
--------------


8. (C) Turning to the UNIIC investigation, MGM said Brammertz
had done "serious work" and that the Syrians were desperate
to avoid an international tribunal. He noted that France had
"tried its best" to persuade the Russians to facilitate a
speedy establishment of the tribunal. In addition, he said
both France and Saudi Arabia (Prince Bandar met with
President Chirac the week of November 19) were putting
"maximum pressure" on Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri
to end the current political crisis. "We need Berri to play
a role," said MGM, who nonetheless questioned whether Berri
could deliver.

Israeli Overflights
--------------


9. (C) With respect to Israeli overflights of Lebanon, MGM
said the French were trying to dampen down the "crisis" that
the overflights had engendered in Franco-Israeli relations.
He noted that France continued to develop a package of
security measures aimed at reducing the need for such
flights, and said that the French military and the IDF had
held consultations in that regard. He thanked U/S Edelman
for U.S. assistance in sensitizing the GOI to France's
concerns. Noting that air defense rules of engagement did
not leave much margin for error, he said it would be tragic
if a UNIFIL soldier were open to fire simply because he was
following the rules of engagement.


10. (C) Nonetheless, he expressed frustration that the
Israelis had not fully taken on board France's concerns. He
pointed to the fact that, while there had been a slight
reduction in the number of overflights, the flights
continued. He stressed that of fourteen recent violations of
Lebanese airspace, eleven took place over French UNIFIL
positions. "We have asked the Israelis not to misbehave, and
we have warned them that our soldiers are not Fijians," said
MGM. In addition to the dangers of an unwanted
confrontation, such overflights undermined UNIFIL's
credibility. MGM noted that he had given Israeli Ambassador
Shek a blunt warning: If the overflights continued, the
French peacekeepers might simply announce that the Israelis
were impeding them from doing their job and go home -- which
would not be in Israel's interest.

Turkey/Serbia
--------------


11. (C) Recalling U/S Edelman's prior service as U.S.
Ambassador to Turkey, MGM noted that France had "no interest
in burning bridges" with Ankara over the question of Turkey's
admission to the EU. He added that President Chirac had
taken a personal political risk in speaking out against the
National Assembly's attempt to criminalize denial of the
Armenian genocide. He questioned whether Turkish PM Erdogan
would attempt to win the Turkish presidency in 2007. Turning
to Serbia, MGM said "we need to do everything we can" to
prevent Serbian Radical Party leader (and indicated war
criminal) Vojislav Seselj from being elected president and
that France would push for SAA to be extended to Serbia at
the EU Summit.


PARIS 00007684 003 OF 003



12. (U) U/S Edelman has cleared this cable.











Please visit Paris' Classified Website at:
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/paris/index.c fm
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