CONGRESSMAN WEXLER'S MEETING WITH SARKOZY'S

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 PARIS 002889

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/02/2017
TAGS: PREL PHUM FR
SUBJECT: CONGRESSMAN WEXLER'S MEETING WITH SARKOZY'S
DIPLOMATIC ADVISER LEVITTE


Classified By: Ambassador Craig R. Stapleton. Reasons 1.4b,d


1. (C) Summary: Congressman Wexler and Presidential
Diplomatic Adviser Jean-David Levitte discussed Hizbollah and
Lebanon, Darfur, Kosovo, Turkey and Iran during a July 2
meeting. Levitte emphasized that Sarkozy continued to hold
to the view he espoused during the presidential campaign that
Hizballah was a terrorist group. Levitte warned that Syria
might be on the verge of instructing Lebanese President
Lahoud to form a second government comprised primarily of
Hizballah and followers of Christian leader General Aoun --
"a recipe for civil war" that had to be averted. Concerning
Darfur, Levitte stated that both Sarkozy and FM Kouchner
believed the Chirac administration had not done enough.
Alongside French humanitarian efforts in Chad, France wanted
to play its part by mobilizing international suport for a
unified UN-AU peace process and UNSC authorization and
deployment of a UN-AU Hybrid force. Levitte emphasized the
need for European unity on Kosovo, noting that some Europeans
(though not France) had a legal problem with maintaining
troops absent UNSC authorization. Levitte reiterated that
Sarkozy did not support Turkish integration into the EU and
favored a privileged partnership. Sarkozy had agreed to
allow accession talks to move forward in order to soften the
blow; however, he wanted to see an EU working group meet to
fix EU borders. Levitte expressed serious concern at the
prospect of Congressional sanctions targeting European and
other companies who invest in Iran, warning at the risk of a
U.S.-EU "war" that would divert effort from the real
objective of transforming Iran. Levitte claimed U.S.-French
strategy on Iran was bearing fruit. End Summary.


2. (C) Congressman Wexler, accompanied by Ambassador and DCM,
met on July 2 with Presidential Diplomatic Adviser
(NSA-Equivalent) Jean-David Levitte. Asked whether French
and European views of Hizballah would change if reports
proved true about a high-level Hizballah figure implicated in
plotting against the U.S. military in Iraq, Levitte responded
that Sarkozy already had a very defined view: Hizbollah were
terrorists. This was Sarkozy's view as a candidate and it
remained his view as President, Levitte said. Sarkozy had
made this known to Lebanese PM Siniora during the latter's
June 26 visit; Sarkozy had been equally clear during the G-8
dinner at Heiligendamm. Sarkozy was a champion of pluralism
-- he had helped to authorize construction of mosques in
France as Minister of Interior. Yet Sarkozy saw no evidence
of reciprocity among Islamists. There were only two
pluralist nations in the Middle East, Levitte commented in an
implicit reference to Israel and Lebanon, and these states
were under continuous assault.


3. (C) Levitte warned that Syria might be on the verge of
instructing Lebanese President Lahoud to form a second
government comprised primarily of Hizballah and Aounists --
"a recipe for civil war." It was imperative to jump-start
dialogue in order to preempt such a tragic development,
Levitte stated. The Arab League was trying to organize
dialogue in Beirut; while initially positive, Hizballah and
Speaker Nabih Berri then rejected the initiative out of hand
on orders from Damascus, he said. At best, the Arab League
effort would now go forward at the working level, absent
leaders or grass-roots figures, and without any media or
conclusions.


4. (C) Turning to Darfur, Levitte admitted that France was a
"latecomer" to the cause. Both Sarkozy and FM Kouchner
believed the Chirac administration had not done enough.
France now wanted to play its part, which for now meant
seizing the initiative to mobilize support within the
international community for a unified UN-AU peace process and
to boost UNSC authorization and the subsequent deployment of
a UN-AU Hybrid force. France was also trying to spearhead
additional humanitarian assistance in eastern Chad, both for
refugees from Darfur and Chadians displaced by the conflict.
"Darfur is no longer the worst situation," Levitte observed,
given the huge humanitarian operation already underway.


5. (C) Wexler pressed Levitte on European unease on Kosovar
independence. Levitte demurred that many Europeans -- though
not the French -- had genuine legal difficulties, because
they relied on UNSCR 1244 for the legitimacy of their troop
deployments in Kosovo. At the G-8 Sarkozy had proposed a
four-to-six month hiatus on UNSC negotiations on the
condition that Kosovar independence would then follow.
Russia had pocketed the delay, Levitte admitted, without
making concessions. Levitte stated that the best French
diplomats were now looking for a semantic solution to the
conundrum over SCR 1244 -- trying to find a way to renew the
UNMIK mandate in such a way that it would automatically

PARIS 00002889 002 OF 002


expire and translate into Kosovar independence. Levitte
hoped that the Kennebunkport meetings between President Bush
and President Putin would produce a more favorable
atmosphere. European unity was crucial, he stressed, to
moving forward.


6. (C) Asked his view of former UK PM Tony Blair's
appointment as the Quartet Middle East Envoy, Levitte
suggested that Blair's role remained unclear but that he
should have a larger profile than his predecessor, James
Wolfensohn. "Sarkozy loves Blair," Levitte added warmly,
alluding to widespread press reports about how the French
President would like to see Blair as the first EU president.
That would be an excellent role for Blair and especially for
transatlantic relations, Levitte opined.


7. (C) As the meeting drew to a close, Levitte asked to
address two specific issues with Congressman Wexler: Turkey
and Iran. Levitte underlined the views of Sarkozy, both as
candidate and as President, that Turkey did not warrant EU
membership. Adding a population 100 million Muslims, who
were "a mix of Kemalists and Islamists", would damage the EU
and ultimately harm EU-U.S. relations, he suggested. To
soften the blow and avoid offense to Turkey and undue
complications to the election campaign of PM Erdogan, France
had agreed to continue EU negotiations with Turkey on
accession with a view to either full membership or, the
preferred French outcome, a reinforced partnership. The EU,
Levitte said, had no clear notion of its borders, unlike the
U.S., and Sarkozy wanted the EU to establish a working group
to resolve the issue. Levitte observed that if Turkey were
an EU member, then Iran and Syria would share frontiers with
the EU.


8. (C) Levitte expressed serious concern at the prospect of
Congressional sanctions targeting European and other
companies that invest in Iran. Congressman Wexler noted that
he had played a role in the passage of Florida legislation on
divestment and he defended the role of individual states to
invest as they they wish. He asked Levitte to explain why
divestment had been an appropriate strategy for effecting
change in South Africa but would not be correct for Iran.
Levitte argued there was a qualitative difference between
divesting from South Africa as opposed to divesting from
foreign companies that did business there. Levitte warned
that a U.S. movement to divest from companies doing business
in Iran would spark a U.S.-EU "war" and divert from the real
objective of transforming Iran. U.S.-French strategy on Iran
was bearing fruit, Levitte claimed, pointing to street
protests and economic difficulties. Levitte thought it
dangerous to politicize economic decision-making; he
cautioned that others could later follow the U.S. lead but in
different directions. The U.S. and global economy, for
instance, would suffer grievously if the PRC, with its
enormous foreign reserves, were to embark on investment or
divestment strategies on the basis of political criteria.
"If you start this, then be prepared for others to do the
same," Levitte warned.

Please visit Paris' Classified Website at:
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/paris/index.c fm


STAPLETON