LEBANON: INFORMATION MINISTER SAYS "MUTUAL SUSPICION AND MISTRUST" COULD DELAY ELECTIONS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BEIRUT 001374 SIPDIS DEPT FOR NEA/FO, NEA/ELA ALSO FOR IO ACTING A/S HOOK, PDAS WARLICK P FOR DRUSSELL AND RRANGASWAMY USUN FOR KHALILZAD/WOLFF/SCHEDLBAUER NSC FOR ABRAMS/RAMCHAND/YERGER/MCDERMOTT E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/12/2018 TAGS: PREL PGOV PTER PINR ECPS UNSC SY LE SUBJECT: LEBANON: INFORMATION MINISTER SAYS "MUTUAL SUSPICION AND MISTRUST" COULD DELAY ELECTIONS Classified By: Ambassador Michele J. Sison for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). SUMMARY -------------- ¶1. (C) Minister of Information Tareq Mitri told the Ambassador on September 16 that there is a possibility that the 2009 elections could be delayed because mutual suspicion and mistrust continue to plague the national unity government. Mitri cautioned that recent events touted as "reconciliation" (i.e., in Tripoli and between rival Druze factions) were better described as "treaties" engineered to keep further violence at bay, rather than as a form of forgiveness. He expressed concern that the parliament was being replaced as the appropriate forum for discussion and law making; and complained the cabinet was spending far too many hours discussing issues that should fall under the purview of the parliament. The media, Mitri believed, has exacerbated some of the political conflicts and said he is focused on crafting a new "code of conduct" for the media. The ministry also is exploring ideas to improve Lebanon´s public television programming, he said. Mitri was clearly not enthralled by his new portfolio and was counting the days. End summary. DELAYED ELECTIONS ARE A POSSIBILITY -------------- ¶2. (C) Minister of Information Tareq Mitri told the Ambassador, accompanied by Poloff, September 16 that the 2009 parliamentary elections could be delayed due to mutual suspicion and mistrust between the political factions. The majority, he said, does not trust that Hizballah is doing its part to dissipate violence. In addition, the daily violence occurring in the Bekaa, Beirut, and other regions is creating fear among voters, he said. If the present security environment continues unchanged until the time of the elections, Mitri believed voters would not vote, rhetorically asking, "Why should they?" ¶3. (C) Mitri revealed that during the drafting of the national unity government´s ministerial statement in August 2008 there was a "difficult discussion" related to language concerning the next elections. Hizballah, he said, objected to the inclusion of language that stated elections would not take place if the security situation was unstable. Minister of Labor Mohammad Fneish (Hizballah) reportedly said, "This is Lebanon, not Plato´s republic." Conversely, Mitri said he argued that Hizballah appeared to want to delay the elections by not reining in its fighters. (Note: Ultimately, paragraph 15 of the adopted ministerial statement made no reference to voters´ ability to exercise their rights without intimidation, threats, or violence. End note.) However, Mitri believed significant tension and mistrust remain. "TREATY" vs. "RECONCILIATION" -------------- ¶4. (C) Mitri said recent events touted in the press as "reconciliation" initiatives (i.e., the September 2008 Tripoli agreement between rival Sunni and Alawite factions and reports of reconciliation between Druze leaders Walid Jumblatt and Talal Arslan) are better described as "treaties" or agreements. One of the meanings of "reconciliation" in Arabic, he said, assumes a sort of interpersonal dimension; one that approaches forgiveness. However, these agreements, he suggested, are primarily political in nature and represent an attempt to keep violence from spiraling out of control with no sign of the underlying tension abating. IS PARLIAMENT BEING REPLACED? -------------- ¶5. (C) Mitri was dour in his assessment of parliament. The parliament, he said, is not functioning properly. He complained that the cabinet of ministers was spending "hours and hours" deliberating on divisive issues that should fall under parliament´s purview. Even the National Dialogue, he said, is a sort of replacement for parliament. Although the National Dialogue could be an avenue to debate some of the important issues, Mitri believed Michel Aoun and Hizballah will deliberately attempt to sidetrack the discussion. ¶6. (C) Mitri acknowledged that Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri had publicly stated his intention to move forward with a broad legislative agenda. However, he said, only the electoral law is under serious discussion. He believed an electoral law would pass without a problem; the trouble would be implementation, he said. Mitri feared the government would become bogged down in political bickering over the course of the next eight months, rather than focusing on important issues, including electricity and water, he said. MEDIA NEEDS A "CODE OF CONDUCT" -------------- ¶7. (C) Mitri told the Ambassador that it is "not fun to be in this ministry." He said the ministry is huge, but its role and vocation are undefined. One of the projects he will spend the most time on, Mitri said, is drafting and implementing a "code of conduct" for the media. According to Mitri, the media is partially responsible for exacerbating conflicts in Lebanon. Even though most media outlets have strong political affiliations, Mitri said they should still have "professional ethics." ¶8. (C) The code of conduct Mitri envisioned would not be legally binding. However, he said he will spend the next two months gathering support and input from unions and civil society to make the message stronger because he had no expectation that politicians would support such a decree. Mitri proclaimed that "name, shame, and blame" can be very effective in a country like Lebanon; perhaps more than going to court, he said. When asked if Hizballah´s Al-Manar network would respect such a code, Mitri said "probably." He said Al-Manar was not the worst of the networks, rather it was the new pro-Syrian, opposition network, Al-Jadeed. Mitri characterized Al-Jadeed as "having a taste for the sensational and sarcastic" that was causing more problems, Mitri opined. COMMENT -------------- ¶9. (C) Mitri was clearly unenthralled by his new portfolio. Prior to the election of President Sleiman, Mitri served as Acting Foreign Minister and also had served as Minister of Culture. September 16, he said, was "Day 67" of the current government and he was not sure if he should be congratulated for being able to move out of the Grand Serail (where many ministers were holed up during the 18-month political vacuum) or "given condolences." SISON