LEBANON'S ACTING FOREIGN MINISTER ON VATICAN TRIP

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 BEIRUT 001123

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

NSC FOR ABRAMS/SINGH/MARCHESE/HARDING

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/26/2027
TAGS: PREL PGOV KDEM LE SY VT
SUBJECT: LEBANON'S ACTING FOREIGN MINISTER ON VATICAN TRIP

REF: BEIRUT 1087

Classified By: Jeffrey Feltman, Ambassador, per 1.4 (b) and (d).

SUMMARY
--------------


1. (C) Meeting with the Ambassador on 7/25, Acting Foreign
Minister Tariq Mitri, just back from Rome, said that he found
Vatican officials generally willing to push Christian MPs to
participate in the Parliament session to elect Lebanon's next
president. But while on board philosophically, they do not
yet know how to emphasize that it is a Christian obligation
to prevent a vacuum in Lebanon's presidency. Mitri pushed
hard for a Papal envoy, despite the known reluctance of
Maronite Patriarch Sfeir (who is not even on talking terms
with the Holy See, Mitri reported). The Vatican was appalled
by Michel Aoun's pronouncements (along the lines of, "if I'm
not president, then they'll be no president"). Mitri also
detected close coordination between the Vatican and France,
in contrast to what he perceived as an absence of genuine
cooperation between the Vatican and the USG.

(C) Although satisfied with Vatican thinking on presidential
elections, Mitri did not like what he heard regarding Syria.
Foreign Minister Mamberti told him that Lebanon "shouldn't
ask more from history than history can provide." Mitri felt
that the Vatican was skirting uncomfortably close to
appeasement in terms of issues such as the Special Tribunal
for Lebanon. He also said that the Vatican officials, while
well informed about Lebanese developments, were less aware of
the U.S.-Lebanese dynamic. His contacts speculated that the
USG pushed Lebanon into its current confrontation with Syria,
when in fact Syria was primarily responsible for the sorry
state of Lebanese-Syrian relations. End summary.

IMPRESSED WITH VATICAN'S AWARENESS
OF LEBANON DEVELOPMENTS
--------------


3. (C) Culture Minister and Acting Foreign Minister Tariq
Mitri, having returned to Beirut from Rome a few hours
earlier, met with the Ambassador late on 7/25. He said that
he met Archbishop Mamberti and Msgr. Franco Coppola (whom
Mitri described as "equivalent to your David Welch," although
we defer to Embassy Vatican as to the accuracy of comparing
the responsibilities and sanctity of the two named
officials). Mitri said that Mamberti was largely in
listening mode, whereas Coppola, once away from his boss for
coffee with Mitri, was much more expansive in describing
Vatican thinking toward Lebanon. (Mitri also quoted a couple
of statements attributed to Cardinal Bertone, although in
replaying the meeting with Mitri in our heads and reviewing
our notes, we believe that Mitri was probably referring to
his previous contacts with Bertone rather than new
conversations during this trip.) Mitri was impressed by how
well informed his Vatican contacts were with Lebanon
developments. They understood the issues and the
personalities, Mitri marveled, "even though their conclusions
were sometimes a bit off."


4. (C) Repeating a theme he had mentioned after his last
trip to Rome (and noted reftel),Mitri said that he was also
struck by the unmistakable dismissive attitude about Maronite
Patriarch Sfeir. The Vatican and Sfeir are not even on
speaking terms, Mitri said. This complicates the ability of
the Vatican to pursue an agenda in Lebanon, since an already
suspicious, aging Patriarch will resent any perception of
Vatican interference.

VATICAN READY TO HELP WITH ELECTIONS,
BUT UNSURE OF BEST VEHICLE TO DO SO
--------------


5. (C) In terms of upcoming presidential elections (which
should be completed by the end of President Emile Lahoud's
term on November 24 to prevent a vacuum and constitutional
crisis),Mitri said that the Vatican understood fully the
significance of persuading Christian MPs to vote to ensure a
quorum and prevent self-marginalization of Lebanon's
Christians. "There seems to be a general consensus that the
Church needs to help," Mitri noted, citing the Vatican's
belief that it is both a civic and Christian responsibility
to see that Lebanon's Christian presidency ("the only one in
the Middle East," a frequent refrain) is preserved. But the

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Vatican is unclear on what is the mechanism for conveying the
Church's views. Mitri said that he pushed very hard for a
Papal envoy carrying a Papal letter (such as described
reftel). Mitri thought he had made some progress toward that
goal.

VATICAN WORRIED LEBANON
WENT TOO FAR IN OPPOSING SYRIA
--------------


6. (C) While satisfied with the Vatican's thinking on
Lebanon's presidential elections, Mitri said that he was less
content with Vatican views on Lebanese-Syrian relations.
Mamberti said that the Lebanese had scored an enormous
victory in April 2005, when Syrian troops departed. That was
a once-in-a-lifetime accomplishment akin to the fall of the
Berlin Wall, Mamberti explained, and Lebanon "shouldn't ask
more from history than history can provide." At another
point, Vatican officials described Syria as a "ferocious
beast." Since Lebanon cannot kill the beast, and since the
beast is stronger than Lebanon, than it is unwise for Lebanon
to corner the beast, causing it to lash back in anger.
Instead, Lebanon should be pacifying the beast, feeding it as
necessary to keep it at bay.


7. (C) Mitri said that he felt the Vatican was skirting
uncomfortably close to appeasement of Syria. He was
particularly worried about their suggestions that Lebanon
should roll back its demands regarding the Special Tribunal
for Lebanon. The Vatican "seems to forget who is the victim
and who is the victimizer," Mitri noted, repeating a favorite
line from his friend PM Fouad Siniora. "They think we've
gone too far."

CONTRASTING CLOSE COOPERATION WITH FRANCE,
WITH MORE DISTANT RELATIONSHIP WITH USG
--------------


8. (C) Mitri said that he sensed unusually close
coordination between the new French administration and the
Vatican. French officials, for example, had uttered the word
"Lockerbie" to Mitri when discussing the Special Tribunal,
suggesting that the Sarkozy government in Paris was, like the
Vatican, rethinking the Tribunal. By contrast, Mitri said
that he found a lack of understanding of the U.S. position
surprising. The Vatican officials seemed to conclude that
"little Lebanon" would not have taken on the evil beast of
Syria without being pushed to do so by the United States.
His contacts said that it was misguided for the USG to incite
the Lebanese to rebel, when the USG was unable to remove the
Syrian threat. The USG has essentially endangered the
Lebanese democrats, according to Mitri's version of the
Vatican analysis. The Vatican officials expressed deep
skepticism about the USG role in Lebanon.


9. (C) Mitri said that he had to spend considerable time
reminding the Vatican officials that the Lebanese themselves
are the ones demanding Lebanon's independence, that they are
doing so for Lebanese, not U.S., reasons. The sorry state of
the Lebanese-Syrian relationship is due to Syrian action,
such as murder and bombs, not because of either Lebanon or
the U.S. The Vatican officials also conveyed to Mitri their
disappointment "and even resentment" of what they see as the
lack of genuine partnership with the United States about
Lebanon. USG officials talk but don't listen regarding the
subject of Lebanon, Vatican officials complained to Mitri.
"You need to be patient with them, cultivate them slowly,"
Mitri counseled.

VATICAN UNIMPRESSED WITH AOUN
--------------


10. (C) Asked by the Ambassador whether he had discussed
specific presidential candidates with the Vatican, Mitri said
that the Vatican officials were favorably impressed with
recent visits by former MP Nassib Lahoud and Minister of
Justice Charles Rizk. The Vatican seeks a presidential
candidate who can rise above petty (but deadly) Lebanese
politics, and Rizk and Lahoud came across as promising. As
for Michel Aoun, "they thought he was crazy," Mitri giggled.
The Vatican officials were appalled by Aoun's statements
threatening that, if he did not become president, then there
will be no Lebanese president. "In that," Mitri said, "the
Vatican is different from the French," whom Mitri believes
are currently flirting with Aoun.

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FELTMAN