EGYPT AND ARAB LEAGUE ON LEBANON BORDER MISSION

C O N F I D E N T I A L CAIRO 003115

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

NEA/ELA FOR IRWIN AND SOMERSET; NSC FOR WATERS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/23/2017
TAGS: PGOV PREL EG LE
SUBJECT: EGYPT AND ARAB LEAGUE ON LEBANON BORDER MISSION
AND ELECTION

REF: A. SECSTATE 146813


B. CAIRO 3003

Classified By: ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL MINISTER COUNSELOR WILLIAM R. STE
WART.
REASONS: 1.4 (B) and (D)


1. (C) POLOFF delivered points (reftel A) October 23 to
Hisham Yousef, Chief of Staff to Arab League Secretary
General Amre Moussa, and conveyed strong USG support for
Lebanese PM Siniora's proposed Arab-EU monitoring mission.
Yousef agreed that Lebanese sovereignty is critical, and said
that Siniora had raised the Lebanon-Syria border issue with
Moussa on numerous occasions. However, the Arab League focus
in Lebanon right now is on helping to ensure a successful
presidential election, and Yousef thinks that Lebanese
political leaders (aside from Siniora) are unlikely to focus
on the border right at the moment. He argued that it is
better to wait until after the election, notwithstanding our
point that Siniora wants to lay the groundwork immediately.
He said that the latest EU plan (i.e. the "Spanish proposal"
in reftel A) did not come up in a phone call between the
Secretary General and Spanish FM Moratinos following the

SIPDIS
latter's recent Beirut visit.


2. (C) Yousef opined that discussions on a "short list" of
Lebanese presidential candidates is going forward, albeit
slowly. The Arab League is planning to send a high-level
delegation (led by former Sudanese Foreign Minister Mustafa
Osman Ismail) to Lebanon in early November, to provide
political support for the dialogue, but not to interfere. If
necessary, Secretary General Moussa would lead an Arab League
delegation to Lebanon in mid-November (to include foreign
ministers from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar, and either Tunis
or Morocco) if it is apparent progress is not satisfactory
and that a push might be helpful.


3. (C) Egyptian MFA Cabinet Advisor Nazih el Neggary
expressed skepticism to POLOFF October 22 regarding the
potential effectiveness of any Lebanon-Syria border
monitoring mission. Neggary said that Egypt fully supports
the goal of strengthening Lebanese security, including at its
border with Syria -- the question is how to do it. In
response to points (reftel A),he said that Syria could not
be trusted to use equipment, or implement any program, if the
goal was to reduce arms smuggling into Lebanon. He
acknowledged that Siniora had raised the issue in his most
recent meeting with Egyptian Prime Minister Nazif.


4. (C) Neggary offered his own view that it would be unwise
for Egypt to deploy personnel for a joint Arab-EU monitoring
mission (as proposed by Siniora),because Egypt is simply
"too close," but that suitable contributors might be other
North African countries, or perhaps non-Arab Muslim
countries. He reiterated his view (reftel B) that the best
way to support Lebanon is by supporting the Lebanese security
forces, and cited the successful airlift of ammunition from
Egypt to Lebanon in July as an example.
RICCIARDONE