POLAND'S RESPONSE TO DEMARCHE ON PRESERVING THE

S E C R E T WARSAW 002546 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/04/2011 TAGS: PREL PGOV PTER KDEM MOPS PL SUBJECT: POLAND'S RESPONSE TO DEMARCHE ON PRESERVING THE DEMOCRATICALLY ELECTED GOVERNMENT OF LEBANON REF: A. STATE 193090 ¶B. WARSAW 2246 ¶C. STATE 172274 Classified By: Political External Chief David T. Morris, reasons 1.4(b) and (d) ¶1. (C) PolExt Chief delivered Ref A demarche December 1 to Krzysztof Plominski, Acting Director of MFA Middle East Africa Department. Plominski responded that the GOP was watching closely the situation in Lebanon following the assassination of Pierre Gemayel. Poland continued to support the democratically elected government of PM Siniora Unfortunately, the situation had already deteriorated further with the scheduling of the mass anti-government protest in Beirut by pro-Syrian political groups. (N.B. The sit-in took place only hours after the meeting with Plominski.) ¶2. (C) Plominski said that the GOP was doing everything possible in its contacts with the Syrian government to urge non-interference in the Lebanese political situation (refs b & c),but the Gemayel assassination and the subsequent unrest had elevated the crisis to a new level. In Plominski's opinion, it was important to update the international approach to Lebanon in light of the new situation. However, to date the EU had not come to grips with the new reality and EU common policy was badly outdated. ASHE