LEBANON: ANNAPOLIS DELEGATION CONFIRMED

C O N F I D E N T I A L BEIRUT 001834 SIPDIS SIPDIS NSC FOR ABRAMS/SINGH/GAVITO/YERGER STATE FOR NEA/IPA, NEA/RA, CA/VO/F/P FOR JOHN BRENNAN, CA/VO/L/C FOR TIM SMITH E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/22/2017 TAGS: PGOV PREL CVIS AMGT IS KPAL KWBG LE SUBJECT: LEBANON: ANNAPOLIS DELEGATION CONFIRMED REF: A. A. SECSTATE 156471 ¶B. B. SECSTATE 158852 ¶C. C. BEIRUT 1807 Classified By: DCM William Grant for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) MFA protocol chief Georges Siam told DCM on November 23 that Lebanon's Annapolis delegation will be the Charge D'Affaires to the U.S., Antoine Chedid, and Charge d'Affairs to the UN, Nawaf Salam. This proposal, initially made by Acting FM Tareq Mitri, was recently confirmed by resigned yet still active FM Fawzi Salloukh. Obtaining Salloukh's approval was a step PM Fouad Siniora considered necessary although Salloukh is one of the ministers who submitted their resignations from Siniora's cabinet one year ago. There is a very slim chance that the GOL will seek to add a third delegate, a Shia, for confessional balance but we assess that as unlikely now. ¶2. (U) Bio information (reftel C) is as follows: Principal: Ambassador Antoine Chedid (addressed as: Your Excellency) Gender: Male DOB: December 28, 1951 POB: Zahle, Lebanon Visa status: Currently has A1 visa expiring July 2, 2012 Lebanese passport no.: 1002007 Proposed Member 1: Ambassador Nawaf Salam (addressed as: Your Excellency) Gender: Male DOB: December 15, 1953 POB: Beirut, Lebanon Visa status: Currently has G1 visa expiring June 27, 2012 Lebanese passport no.: 892007 Photos will be sent by unclassified email to the addresses in reftel A. There will be no need for language interpretation. FELTMAN