LEBANON: FRANCE BEHIND SYRIA'S OVERTURES TO

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BEIRUT 001023

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR NEA/FO, NEA/ELA
ALSO FOR IO A/S SILVERBERG AND PDAS WARLICK
USUN FOR KHALILZAD/WOLFF/KUMAR/PHEE
NSC FOR ABRAMS/SINGH/YERGER/GAVITO

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/14/2018
TAGS: PREL PGOV PTER PINR UNSC FR IS SY LE
SUBJECT: LEBANON: FRANCE BEHIND SYRIA'S OVERTURES TO
LEBANON, FRENCH EMBASSY SAYS

Classified By: Charge d'Affaires a.i. William K. Grant for reasons 1.4
(b) and (d).

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


1. (C) Reporting on the July 12-13 meetings in Paris between
President Michel Sleiman, French President Sarkozy, and
Syrian President Bashar Asad, French Embassy PolOff said that
France is interested in pursuing rapprochement with Syria.
Sarkozy prodded Asad into agreeing to re-establish diplomatic
relations with Lebanon as part of France's plan for
rapprochement with Syria, the French PolOff said. Believing
that the time is ripe for improved relations between France
and Syria, our French contact said that Sarkozy will go to
Damascus in September if significant progress is made on the
diplomatic front between Lebanon and Syria. End summary.

FRENCH PRODDED ASSAD
TO CONSIDER DIPLOMATIC
TIES WITH LEBANON
--------------


2. (C) On July 15, PolOff met with her French counterpart,
Janaina Herrera, for a readout of the July 12-13 meetings in
Paris between President Michel Sleiman, French President
Nicolas Sarkozy, and Syrian President Bashar Asad. Herrera
reported that bilaterals took place between Sarkozy and
Sleiman, Sarkozy and Asad, and Sleiman and Asad, in addition
to the trilateral with all three presidents, and a
quadrilateral meeting including the Emir of Qatar Sheikh
Hamad bin Khalifa al Thani.


3. (C) Herrera said Sarkozy was pushing Asad to agree to
re-establishing diplomatic relations with Syria in accordance
with UN Security Council Resolution 1680. Noting that Syrian
FM Walid Muallem is expected in Beirut the week of July 21,
Herrera clarified that Muallem's visit should be viewed as an
initial concrete step towards diplomatic relations, and made
a point of emphasizing that France does not endorse any use
of a revived Syrian-Lebanese friendship committee
(established during the Syrian occupation in Lebanon) as a
means of achieving diplomatic relations.

FRANCE PURSUING
RAPPROCHEMENT
WITH SYRIA
--------------


4. (C) According to Herrera, Sarkozy believes the time is
right to pursue rapprochement with Syria. She explained that
Sarkozy laid out a set of benchmarks for Asad as part of an
overall plan for French-Syrian rapprochement, including
establishment of diplomatic relations with Lebanon, as well
as an improvement in Syria's human rights record.


5. (C) Elaborating further, Herrera said that France has
detected a shift within Asad's inner circle. She explained
that the Syrian president seems to be welcoming more
businessmen and entrepreneurs in his circle, taking the place
of some security and intelligence officials. She also
suggested that Asad and his wife have "become more open on
certain issues" (NFI). Consequently, she concluded, "We want
to seize this opportunity now."


6. (C) Herrera further disclosed that Sarkozy was planning
to visit Damascus in mid-September, following the UN General
Assembly. Sarkozy is conditioning his visit to Damascus on
concrete progress in Syrian-Lebanese diplomatic relations.

SLEIMAN NOT AS
SAVVY AS ASAD
--------------


7. (C) Lamenting Sleiman's somewhat sub-standard performance
in the meetings with Sarkozy, Herrera said that Sleiman
appeared "out of his element," which was not helped by his
predilection to speak in French. She compared his "slow
French" to Asad's quick responses in Arabic, through the use
of a translator.


BEIRUT 00001023 002 OF 002



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