LEBANON: NEA DAS HALE MEETS SPEAKER BERRI

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 BEIRUT 001270 SIPDIS DEPT FOR NEA/FO, NEA/ELA ALSO FOR IO ACTING A/S HOOK, PDAS WARLICK USUN FOR KHALILZAD/WOLFF/SCHEDLBAUER NSC FOR ABRAMS/YERGER/MCDERMOTT DOD/OSD A/S LONG E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/28/2018 TAGS: PREL PGOV PTER PINR UNSC MARR IS LE QA SUBJECT: LEBANON: NEA DAS HALE MEETS SPEAKER BERRI Classified By: Ambassador Michele J. Sison for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). SUMMARY -------------- ¶1. (C) In an August 28 meeting with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, NEA DAS David Hale reiterated the USG's continued support for Lebanon. Berri thanked DAS Hale for USG assistance to the Lebanese Armed Forces and expressed his concern over the recent violence in Tripoli, blaming Al-Qaeda and foreign fighter elements. Berri added that parliament would vote on a new electoral law by September 25, followed soon by the launch of President Sleiman's National Dialogue. Berri also criticized Israeli overflights and Israel's reluctance to give up its cluster bomb targeting data in order for deminers to prioritize their work. DAS Hale said the USG would ask Israel about the information, but emphasized that Lebanon had to fully comply with UNSCR 1701 and address Hizballah's illegal weapons. End Summary. ¶2. (C) Visiting NEA DAS David Hale, accompanied by Ambassador, NEA/ELA Lebanon desk officer, and PolOffs, met with the Speaker, MP Ali Bazzi, and Berri advisor Ali Hamdan at Berri's office in Ain el-Tineh on August 28. U.S. STILL FOCUSED ON LEBANON -------------- ¶3. (C) DAS Hale told Berri the objective of his visit was to reaffirm USG support for Lebanon's sovereignty, independence, integrity and its institutions. He added that he wanted to know where the USG could most effectively lend its support to Lebanon, as well as trying to get a sense of how the National Dialogue was progressing, and preparations for Spring 2008 legislative elections. DAS Hale also said he was here to discuss the next phase of USG security support to Lebanon and to emphasize full implementation of UNSCR 1701. ¶4. (C) Berri said he did not have the impression that the U.S. was losing interest in Lebanon. He attributed any misperceptions to the timing of the U.S. elections, noting that many in the U.S. would be focused on domestic presidential elections. Berri thanked DAS Hale for the USG's material support to the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) and criticized European and Arab countries for only providing verbal support. UNIFIED ARMY NEEDED TO END TRIPOLI VIOLENCE -------------- ¶5. (C) Berri added that Lebanon could not function without a strong and unified LAF. He said he was troubled by how overstretched the LAF currently is, noting that some units operating in the south in conjunction with UNIFIL forces, as part of UNSCR 1701, had been forced to redeploy to Tripoli in order to help stabilize the security situation there. ¶6. (C) The Speaker attributed the conflict in Tripoli to Al-Qaeda and foreign fighter militants, particularly from Iraq, coming to Lebanon to destabilize the country. He said two things were needed in the north in order to counter their efforts: economic development and investment, as well as increased security. Berri believed that three to five thousand LAF soldiers would ultimately need to be re-deployed from the south to the north, but admitted that this would be a dangerous tradeoff. NEW LAF COMMANDER -------------- ¶7. (C) Berri said the cabinet had not (then) yet chosen a new LAF Commander because of internal squabbles within March ¶14. Berri said the problem was between March 14 Saad Hariri and Walid Jumblatt. Berri said he spoke with Hizballah leader Hassan Nasrallah, and Nasrallah did not care who the BEIRUT 00001270 002 OF 003 next LAF Commander would be. Berri said he also did not feel strongly about who should be named to the position. Berri did not specify the particular problem between Hariri and Jumblatt over the LAF leadership, but noted that Jumblatt felt that Hariri had gone behind his back and that the issue would not be solved until Hariri returned to Lebanon from his vacation in Europe (the choice of General Kahwagi as the new LAF Commander was announced during an August 29 cabinet meeting.) NATIONAL DIALOGUE TO BE HELD AFTER SEPTEMBER -------------- ¶8. (C) Berri said the only obligatory item to be discussed during the National Dialogue would be the National Defense Strategy (i.e. Hizballah's weapons). Berri said that he was not opposed to discussing other issues, as long as all the participants agreed to have the discussions. He also said only parties represented in the parliament with more than four members should be allowed to participate, as occurred during the 2006 dialogue. ¶9. (C) He noted that the 2008 National Dialogue would be chaired by President Sleiman and ultimately the decision concerning whom to or not to invite would be up to him. However, Berri said he would recommend to Sleiman that the 2006 criteria be met as opposed to inviting fifty or sixty people to participate. The 2008 National Dialogue would most likely occur after September because of Ramadan and Sleiman's trips to New York during UN General Assembly meeting and his planned regional travel (Egypt and Qatar). Berri added that during his recent trip to Qatar, the Emir of Qatar offered to facilitate National Dialogue meetings, which Berri had welcomed. ELECTORAL LAW BY SEPTEMBER 25 -------------- ¶10. (C) Berri said Lebanon would have a new electoral law by September 25. If there was consensus on which reforms to adopt, along with the Doha Accord stipulation for a majoritarian districting system, an earlier vote on the electoral law could occur. Berri hoped this districting system would be changed for the 2013 parliamentary elections. (Note: In the past Berri often has told us he prefers proportional representation. End note.) He added that security concerns would not be an issue on election day and refuted any talk suggesting otherwise. SOUTH LEBANON - POOR ECONOMY, GOOD SECURITY -------------- ¶11. (C) Berri noted that the economic situation in the south, as was the case for all of Lebanon, was "not good" at the moment. Electricity shortages and availability, as well as access to clean water, were the two main priorities for the region. In terms of security, Berri believed that southern Lebanon was the most secure region in the country, noting that South Lebanon was more secure than Tripoli in the north and even Beirut. (Note: As Berri said this, news outlets reported that a LAF helicopter was fired upon by militants in the southern town of Iqlim Al Tuffah, forcing the helicopter to make an emergency landing. First Lieutenant Samer Hanna was killed in the incident and an investigation is underway. End Note.) ISRAEL OVERFLIGHTS MUST END -------------- ¶12. (C) Berri then went into a tirade about Israeli overflights over Lebanon. He said Israel would have no reason to worry about Hizballah's ability to fire upon its aircraft if Israel was not violating Lebanese airspace. BEIRUT 00001270 003 OF 003 Berri said the overflights only provoke Hizballah and that Israel should stop them immediately. He added that Lebanon is ready to implement UNSCR 1701 "word for word," if Israel was ready to do the same. Berri also felt that recent Israeli saber-rattling over Hizballah's weapons was just a threat and that Israel would not act because it would not be in Israel's interest. ¶13. (C) DAS Hale said he believed that neither side wanted a conflict. However, th Israeli Defense Force (IDF) was alarmed by Hizbllah's ability to rearm and smuggle weapons across Lebanese territory with free reign, noting the lack of any credible effort by the GOL to halt such activities. DAS Hale advised Berri to work to avoid further provoking the Israelis by fully complying with UNSCR 1701. CLUSTER BOMB INFO NEEDED FROM ISRAEL -------------- ¶14. (C) Berri then asked for USG assistance in clearing the cluster bomb problem in South Lebanon. He said more than two million bombs had been dropped by the Israelis after the two sides agreed to UNSCR 1701, which ended the month-long conflict on August 14, 2006. Every week women, children, and UNIFIL soldiers were being injured and killed because of these cluster bombs, Berri said. In the two year period since the war ended more than 200 people had been injured, and over 30 killed, by cluster bombs in southern Lebanon. Berri noted that the United Arab Emirates completed its demining project in the south and had no plans to support continued demining activities. He suggested that the USG ask Qatar for additional funding. Berri also said the Israelis should offer up their targeting maps so deminers could prioritize their demining activities. ¶15. (C) DAS Hale told Berri the USG would continue to seek accurate strike data, and would explore additional USG funding to support demining activities in the area as well as coordinate with the UN on seeking other donor support. Concerning the first solution, Berri said the USG needed to demand, not ask, the Israelis for their targeting information and said he supported seeking additional USG funding or other donor support. ¶16. (U) DAS Hale has cleared this cable. SISON