DELIVERY OF DEMARCHE - PRESERVING LEBANESE PM

S E C R E T WARSAW 002246 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/19/2011 TAGS: PREL PGOV PTER KDEM PLN LE SY SUBJECT: DELIVERY OF DEMARCHE - PRESERVING LEBANESE PM SINIORA'S GOVERNMENT REF: STATE 172274 Classified By: Acting DCM Mary Curtin, reasons 1.4(b) & (d) ¶1. (S) Pol External Chief delivered reftel talking points on Syrian efforts to destabilize the Lebanese political situation October 20 to MFA Middle East & Africa Department Director Krzysztof Plominski. According to Plominski, MFA U/S Witold Waszczykowski (de facto PolDir) was planning to visit the Middle East in the near future, including Israel, Lebanon and Syria. He undertook to circulate the U.S. points within the MFA in preparation for Waszczykowski's trip, as well as forward them to the Polish Embassy in Damascus for use at appropriate opportunities. ¶2. (S) Plominski emphasized that the GOP took seriously the recent U.S. demarche regarding high-level contacts with the SARG. However, Poland felt that it was important to maintain open channels with all the countries of the region, especially those such as Syria, which were key factors in the MEPP, Iraq and Lebanon. According to Plominski, Waszczykowski would meet with Syrian Deputy FM Ahmed Arnous to discuss mostly to discuss "technical" bilateral issues, but would also touch in general on Lebanon, Iraq and the MEPP. ¶3. (C) Plominski noted that Waszczykowski's would be the first Polish visit to Lebanon since the crisis there this summer, all the more important because the GOP was trying hard to maintain a balance in its relations with Israel and the Arab states in the region and other Muslim countries of world. In his visit to Israel in September 2006, President Lech Kaczynski had not been able to visit Beirut, but he had been careful to visit not only Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, but also Ramallah, where he had met Mahmoud Abbas. In addition, President Kaczynski had recently hosted an Iftar dinner recently for the 24 Muslim ambassadors resident in Warsaw, at which he had spoken forcefully about "Poland's strong historical ties and friendship with Israel, but its equally strong desire to maintain a fruitful and cooperative relationship with the Arab and Muslim world. (COMMENT. The GOP is trying to rebuild what were once strong commercial and political ties in the Arab Middle East under the pre-1989 Communist regime. END COMMENT.) ¶4. (C) COMMENT. Though at times provocative and acerbic in bilateral contacts with Embassy and senior U.S. visitors, Waszczykowski is an honest and fair interlocutor and can be trusted to interact appropriately with Deputy FM Arnous in support of U.S. interests. We cannot say for certain whether Waszczykowski himself will choose to deliver to the SARG the message suggested in reftel, but the GOP appears prepared to do so through its Embassy in Damascus. END COMMENT. HILLAS