LEBANON: VATICAN FAVORS MULTI-NATIONAL FORCE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 VATICAN 000145

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EUR/WE LARREA

E.O. 12958: DECL: 7/21/2016
TAGS: MOPS LE IS VT PHUM KIRF
SUBJECT: LEBANON: VATICAN FAVORS MULTI-NATIONAL FORCE

REF: VATICAN 134; VATICAN 142; VATICAN 143

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CLASSIFIED BY: Peter Martin, CDA, Vatican, State.
REASON: 1.4 (b),(d)



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Summary

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1. (C) Holy See Middle East Director Coppola told the Charge
July 21 the Vatican supported the idea of a robust
multi-national force in Lebanon. He said there were no current
plans to make a specific public endorsement of such a plan, but
that the pope would imply support for some type of international
force when he spoke about the crisis July 23 (ref c). Benedict
plans to repeat aspects of the Holy See's July 20 statement on
Sunday, emphasizing the humanitarian concerns of the conflict,
and calling for a cease-fire. On the pope's endorsement of the
G-8 statement, Coppola said that while the pontiff supported the
contents of the statement, the document itself only addressed
part of the problem. Coppola found the statement "very
unbalanced." Coppola indicated that the Holy See was not
currently considering a more active mediation role in the
conflict, despite entreaties by Lebanese officials that the
Vatican do "all it could" to defuse the situation. The Lebanese
Embassy to the Holy See is in close contact with the Vatican,
and emphasized the destruction of Lebanese infrastructure and
loss of civilian lives in conversations with us. While
various voices around the Vatican may see eye-to-eye with some
of our points (ref c),the most important voices at the Vatican
MFA are firm. Continuing civilian casualties and humanitarian
issues have strengthened their resolve that an immediate
cease-fire is the top priority. End Summary.

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Multi-National Force

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2. (C) Holy See MFA Director for the Middle East Franco
Coppola told us July 21 the Vatican supported the idea of a
multi-national force to stabilize Lebanon and "help the Lebanese
government take control of its territory." He said a robust
force with a much greater mandate and with greater numbers than
UNIFIL (the UN Interim Force in Lebanon) might well be accepted
by the Muslim world and help counteract the way in which many
Muslims were rallying around Hezbollah. A multi-national force
would also have the express purpose of helping to protect
Israel, something the Israelis, he said, should appreciate.
When asked if the Holy See planned to say anything publicly on
the subject, Coppola said that the pope would not be too
specific at this point, but when he spoke at the planned day of
prayer for the conflict Sunday (July 23),he would call for
steps from the international community to stabilize the
situation. This, according to Coppola, would have a clear
implication of support for such a multi-national force.

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Holy See Statements

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3. (C) Speaking a stone's throw away from the office of
Cardinal Secretary of State Sodano, Coppola stuck to the party
line that Sodano's July 14 statement and the subsequent comments
by the pope were not incompatible (reftels). While he would
never contradict the pope, Coppola made it clear that the
pontiff's statement in support of the G-8 declaration did not
tell the whole story of the Vatican's position. He emphasized
that it was a quick comment to reporters and that while the
pontiff supported what was in the statement, the document only
addressed part of the problem. The G-8 statement was valuable
in that it contained some important concrete steps, but,
according to Coppola, it was a very unbalanced document that
didn't address "the suffering of the Lebanese people." It seems
unlikely that the pope will repeat his support for the G-8
statement. Coppola said that, in addition to implying support
for a multi-national force, Benedict would repeat aspects of the
Holy See's July 20 statement on Sunday, emphasizing the
humanitarian concerns of the conflict, and calling for a
cease-fire. Charge pointed out that a cease-fire would be of

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limited worth without a military and political defeat of
Hezbollah, but Coppola was not swayed.

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Holy See Mediation

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4. (C) Coppola, citing a close relationship between the
Vatican and Lebanon, told us that PM Siniora and Saad Hariri had
pressed the Holy See to do everything it could to halt the
violence. When asked what other measures that might include
beyond official statements, Coppola indicated that a more active
mediation role was not currently on the table. "We don't want
to go over there and get in front of the TV cameras," he said.
"There are people who have much better technical expertise than
we do who could fill that role," he added. Still, Coppola did
not preclude some more active role for the Holy See,
particularly after a cease-fire. In a separate conversation
with Charge, Lebanese DCM Hala Keyrouz volunteered that Lebanon
would welcome such a contribution by the Vatican.

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Lebanese in "Close Contact"

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5. (C) Keyrouz and the Lebanese Ambassador to the Holy See
remain in "close contact" with the Vatican MFA. DCM Keyrouz
told the Charge July 21 that her government was pleased with
Wednesday's "more concrete" papal statement. Keyrouz, a
Maronite Catholic married to an Italian, impressed upon us the
need for medicine and humanitarian supplies in Lebanon. "We
need everything," she said. She bemoaned the destruction of
Lebanese infrastructure she said the Lebanese had worked so had
to rebuild after the civil war. Keyrouz claimed that Israel had
bombed Christian areas where there had never been any Hezbollah
activity. Another Lebanese contact working for a
Vatican-related media outlet told us the Lebanese Christian
community in Rome was to meet July 21 to discuss the situation
and what they could do to influence Holy See and Italian
officials.

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Coppola Unconvinced

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6. (C) Summing up the Holy See's current thinking, Coppola
reinforced the Vatican's concerns about Lebanon's civilian
population, already expressed in official statements and to Post
July 14. He reiterated the Vatican view that Israel had the
right to defend itself, but that the killing of civilians and
destruction of the country's infrastructure was going too far.
Charge noted the opportunity this presented for Lebanon to rid
itself of Hezbollah, a cancer in that country and the region.
Coppola admitted that that was a worthy goal, but was less
convinced than some other recent interlocutors here (ref b).
"In order to destroy this cancer, it looks as if Israel is
killing the patient," he quipped. Charge responded with
relevant points, but Coppola was unconvinced that Israeli
tactics were going to be effective in eradicating a guerilla
force. "They're just creating more enemies and more hatred," he
said.

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Comment

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7. (C) Continuing civilian casualties have continued to
influence Vatican thinking on the conflict. Coppola's private
harder-line stance is likely to be filtered heavily before
emerging from the pope's mouth, but it is worth noting that as
the working-level expert, he seems to be on the same page with
Sodano and FM-equivalent Lajolo. This conversation did not
suggest that the Holy See was ready to insert itself into the
conflict beyond making veiled endorsements of a multi-national
force, and comments such as those of July 20.
MARTIN