UN SYG BAN TO MIDDLE EAST AND UNSCR 1701 REPORT

S E C R E T USUN NEW YORK 000183 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/07/2012 TAGS: PREL UNSC IS LE SUBJECT: UN SYG BAN TO MIDDLE EAST AND UNSCR 1701 REPORT REF: USUN 175 CLASSIFIED BY: CHARGE D'AFFAIRES ALEJANDRO D. WOLFF FOR REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D). ¶1. (C) THIS IS AN ACTION REQUEST. SEE PARA 4. SUMMARY -------------- ¶2. (C) SENIOR UN OFFICIAL MICHAEL WILLIAMS BRIEFED USUN MARCH 6 ON THE UN'S LATEST PLANNING FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN'S TRIP LATER THIS MONTH TO THE MIDDLE EAST. HE ALSO REVIEWED THE ELEMENTS OF THE UPCOMING REPORT ON UNSCR 1701. WILLIAMS SAID BAN IS THINKING OF VISITING SYRIA ON A SEPARATE TRIP IN APRIL. PREVIEWING STRONG REPORT LANGUAGE ON ARMS SMUGGLING, HE ASKED IF THE USG WOULD SUPPORT POSTPONING THE SECURITY COUNCIL'S DISCUSSION OF UNSCR 1701 FROM THE LAST WEEK OF MARCH TO THE FIRST WEEK OF APRIL SO HE COULD PARTICIPATE. HE ALSO REPORTED A SIGNIFICANT DEVELOPMENT ON SHEBA'A FARMS (SEE PARA 10). BAN'S TRIP TO THE MIDDLE EAST -------------- ¶3. (C) WILLIAMS REPORTED THAT AFTER SEVERAL DAYS OF INTERNAL DEBATE, THE LATEST PROPOSAL FOR BAN'S TRIP TO THE MIDDLE EAST INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING ITINERARY: EGYPT, ISRAEL, RAMALLAH, JORDAN (A BRIEF STOPOVER),RIYADH FOR THE ARAB LEAGUE SUMMIT, AND LEBANON. THE TIMING IS NOT YET FIXED; BAN IS CONSIDERING ARRIVING IN EGYPT BETWEEN MARCH 21 AND MARCH 24. WILLIAMS SAID BAN IS THINKING OF VISITING SYRIA IN APRIL FOLLOWING A TRIP TO QATAR. THE PURPOSE OF THE TRIP TO QATAR IS TO THANK THE QATARIS FOR PROVIDING BAN WITH AN AIRCRAFT FOR HIS MARCH TRIP TO THE MIDDLE EAST AND TO ATTEND A DEMOCRACY CONFERENCE. WILLIAMS SAID, HOWEVER, THAT BAN HIMSELF IS INTERESTED IN VISITING SYRIA. (COMMENT: WILLIAMS SUGGESTED WE MAY WANT TO ASK THE SAUDIS TO ADVISE BAN NOT TO VISIT SYRIA WHEN BAN IS IN RIYADH. IT MAY ALSO BE USEFUL TO ASK THE SECRETARY TO RAISE CONCERN ABOUT SUCH A VISIT WHEN SHE NEXT SPEAKS WITH THE SECRETARY-GENERAL.) TIMING OF UNSCR 1701 REPORT -------------- ¶4. (C) NOTING THAT THE NEXT REPORT ON UNSCR 1701 IS SCHEDULED TO BE RELEASED TO THE SECURITY COUNCIL ON MARCH 16 AND THAT CONSULTATIONS ARE SCHEDULED FOR MARCH 27, WILLIAMS ASKED IF THERE WOULD BE SUPPORT FOR MOVING THE SECURITY COUNCIL DISCUSSION TO THE FIRST WEEK OF APRIL, AS HE AND OTHER MEMBERS OF THE SECRETARIAT WILL BE TRAVELING WITH BAN IN THE REGION AT THAT TIME. (COMMENT: THE FRENCH MISSION HAS INFORMALLY RAISED SOME CONCERN ABOUT POSSIBLE NEGATIVE IMPACT OF ANY ARAB LEAGUE SUMMIT STATEMENT ON ISSUES RELATED TO LEBANON, INCLUDING UNSCR 1701, UNIIIC AND THE TRIBUNAL. END COMMENT.) ACTION REQUEST: PLEASE ADVISE IF THERE IS ANY OBJECTION TO RESCHEDULING THE CONSULTATIONS ON UNSCR 1701. CONTENT OF 1701 REPORT: ARMS SMUGGLING -------------- ¶5. (C) WILLIAMS SAID HE PLANNED TO DRAW FROM THE BRIEFING HE RECEIVED FROM ISRAELI BRIGADIER GENERAL BAIDATZ DURING HIS RECENT VISIT TO ISRAEL TO DRAFT REPORT LANGUAGE REFERRING TO THE UN'S RECEIPT OF SIGNIFICANT, CREDIBLE INFORMATION ABOUT THE UNAUTHORIZED TRANSFER OF WEAPONS AT SPECIFIC DATES, TIMES, AND LOCATIONS. HE NOTED THAT THE BAIDATZ BRIEFING TO THE UN SECRETARIAT AND COUNCIL MEMBERS (REF A) FACILIATED HIS INCLUSION OF THIS INFORMATION IN THE REPORT. WILLIAMS ALSO SAID HE WOULD EXPLORE AN OFFER FROM GERMAN INTELLIGENCE TO REVIEW AND CORROBORATE THE ISRAELI BRIEFING. (COMMENT: WHILE THE UN WOULD NOT SPECIFICALLY CITE GERMANY IN THE REPORT, SUCH CORROBORATION WOULD PROTECT THE UN IN THE EVENT THERE WAS A CHALLENGE TO THE REPORT'S DISCUSSION OF THIS ISSUE. WASHINGTON MAY WISH TO ENCOURAGE THE GOI TO SHARE THIS BRIEFING WITH GERMANY. END COMMENT.) ¶6. (C) REFERRING TO HIS DISCUSSIONS IN LEBANON WITH PRIME MINISTER SINIORA, THE DEFENSE AND INTERIOR MINISTERS, AND LAF OFFICIALS, WILLIAMS SAID NONE OF THEM CONTESTED THE ISRAELI ALLEGATIONS AND HE WOULD FIND A WAY TO MAKE THAT TACIT ACKNOWLEDGEMENT CLEAR IN THE REPORT. AS AN ASIDE, WILLIAMS REPORTED ON BAN'S MARCH 5 MEETING WITH DEFENSE MINISTER MURR. BAN MET ALONE WITH MURR, AND SUBSEQUENTLY REPORTED TO HIS STAFF THAT MURR HAD DISCUSSED LEBANON'S CURRENT POLITICAL SITUATION. REPORTEDLY, MURR RECOMMENDED THE ADOPTION OF A CHAPTER VI (SIC) RESOLUTION ON THE TRIBUNAL; SOUGHT THE EXTENSION OF BRAMMERTZ AS HEAD OF THE UNIIIC (BAN ADVISED HIM AN EXTENSION MAY NOT BE POSSIBLE); AND REPORTED OPTIMISM ABOUT THE SAUDI EFFORTS TO BROKER AN AGREEMENT. MURR DID NOT OFFER ANY NEWS ON GOL PLANS TO STRENGTHEN MONITORING AT THE BORDER, AND AS NO UN STAFF MEMBERS WERE IN THE MEETING THERE WAS NO OPPORTUNITY TO REQUEST AN UPDATE ON THIS MATTER. ¶7. (C) WILLIAMS SAID HE HAD NOT YET READ THE WRITTEN REPORT OF THE LATEST DPKO ASSESSMENT MISSION TO THE BORDER, BUT HE UNDERSTOOD THAT THE TEAM HAD CONCLUDED THAT LITTLE PROGRESS HAD BEEN MADE ON THE RECOMMENDATIONS PROPOSED AFTER ITS LAST TRIP IN SEPTEMBER. USUN LEARNED SEPARATELY FROM DPKO THAT THE TEAM WAS ENCOURAGED BY INCREASED INTEREST AMONG DIFFERENT LEBANESE SECURITY SERVICES (LAF, ISF, ETC.) ABOUT WAYS TO IMPROVE THEIR COORDINATION. AFTER MEETING WITH GERMAN OFFICIALS IN LEBANON, THE TEAM WAS TOLD THAT THE GERMAN ASSISTANCE PROJECT AT THE SYRIAN-LEBANESE BORDER HAS RECEIVED FUNDING (NFI),AND THAT DENMARK MAY BE INTERESTED IN JOINING THE GERMAN EFFORT. DPKO PREDICTED THAT THE ASSESSMENT TEAM WOULD NEED AT LEAST A FEW WEEKS TO PREPARE THE OFFICIAL REPORT, WHICH WOULD THEN BE SHARED OFFICIALLY WITH THE GOL AND INFORMALLY WITH INTERESTED UNSC MEMBERS. ¶8. (C) WILLIAMS SAID HE PLANNED TO REFER TO THE FINDINGS OF THE DPKO TEAM IN THE 1701 REPORT AND WAS CONSIDERING RECOMMENDING AN ADDITIONAL INDEPENDENT ASSESSMENT OF THE SITUATION AT THE BORDER, IN ORDER TO LEVERAGE MORE TECHNICAL ASSSISTANCE FROM MEMBER STATES AND TO HIGHLIGHT THE POLITICAL PROFILE OF THE MATTER. ONE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE PREVIOUS DPKO VISITS AND A NEW ASSESSMENT WOULD BE THE AUDIENCE. THE DPKO ASSESSMENTS HAVE BEEN PREPARED TO ADVISE THE GOL; A NEW ASSESSMENT WOULD BE PREPARED FOR THE SECURITY COUNCIL. AS THE REPORTS ARE DRAFTED IN THE NAME OF THE SYG, WILLIAMS AGREED THAT HE SHOULD USE FORWARD-LEANING LANGUAGE SUCH AS "I AM PREPARED TO FACILITATE..." IN ORDER TO MINIMIZE THE NEED FOR ANY GOL ACTION. USUN SUBSEQUENTLY SPOKE WITH DPA LEBANON STAFFER SALMAN SHEIKH, WHO SAID HE AND WILLIAMS ARE ALSO CONSIDERING WHETHER TO RECOMMEND AN INTERNATIONAL CIVILIAN PRESENCE AT THE BORDER. (COMMENT: AS THE UN IS STILL AT THE DRAFTING STAGE, IT IS POSSIBLE TO PROVIDE ADDITIONAL INPUT ON THIS POINT. END COMMENT.) CONTENT OF 1701 REPORT: PRISONERS AND SHEBA'A FARMS -------------- -------------- ¶9. (S) WILLIAMS REPORTED THAT ISRAEL HAD AT HIS REQUEST ARRANGED FOR THE ICRC TO MEET WITH THOSE HIZBALLAH FIGHTERS DETAINED BY ISRAEL. THUS HE PLANNED TO CONTRAST THE TREATMENT OF PRISONERS BY BOTH SIDES, AND TO NOTE EXPLICITLY THAT HIZBALLAH HAS FAILED SINCE THE END OF HOSTILITIES TO PROVIDE ANY PROOF OF LIFE OF THE DETAINED ISRAELI SOLIDERS. ¶10. (S) ON SHEBA'A FARMS, WILLIAMS REPORTED THAT THE UN CARTOGRAPHER HAS EFFECTIVELY COMPLETED HIS REVIEW OF THE MAPS AND OTHER HISTORICAL MATERIALS AND CONCLUDED THAT THE MAJORITY TERRITORY OF SHEBA'A FARMS IS LEBANESE. HE SAID THAT HE HAD BRIEFED ISRAELI DPR DANNY CARMON ON THIS MATTER MARCH 6, AND ADVISED CARMON THAT THE UN WILL DELAY ANNOUNCEMENT OF THIS RESULT UNTIL JUNE IN ORDER TO ALLOW ISRAEL TIME TO PREPARE A RESPONSE. (WILLIAMS SAID HE ALSO BRIEFED LIVNI ADVISER TAL BECKER WHEN HE WAS IN ISRAEL.) WILLIAMS SAID THAT SHEBA'A FARMS DOES NOT INCLUDE MOUNT HERMON, WHERE THE ISRAELIS HAVE AN OBSERVATION POST, BUT DOES INCLUDE TWO MINOR OBSERVATIONS POSTS, WHICH THE UN HOPES CAN BE EASILY RELOCATED. FOR THE REPORT, WILLIAMS SAID HE PLANNED TO NOTE THAT THE CARTOGRAPHER HAS REQUESTED ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTS FROM SYRIA AND LEBANON RELATED TO A JOINT BORDER COMMISSION CONDUCTED IN 1963-64. HE WOULD ALSO LIKE ISRAEL TO AGREE TO ALLOW THE CARTOGRAPHER TO VISIT THE AREA, BUT AGREED NOT TO INCLUDE LANGUAGE ON THIS PARTICULAR REQUEST. HE SAID, HOWEVER, THAT A VISIT IS NOT NECESSARY TO FINALIZE THE CARTOGRAPHER'S CONCLUSION. HE ALSO DOES NOT BELIEVE A VISIT TO LEBANON WILL BE USEFUL GIVEN THAT "IT WOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE TO CONDUCT A VISIT WITH DISCRETION." CONTENT OF 1701 REPORT: BLUE LINE VIOLATIONS -------------- ¶11. (C) WILLIAMS SAID THE REPORT WOULD NEED TO REFERENCE ISRAELI OVERFLIGHTS AND THE FEBRUARY 7 INCIDENT WHEN THE IDF WAS CLEARING MINES, BUT UNDERTOOK TO CAREFULLY CRAFT THE LANGUAGE. WOLFF