Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08BEIRUT1406
2008-09-25 14:20:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Beirut
Cable title:  

LEBANON: CHRISTIAN RECONCILIATION UNLIKELY,

Tags:  PREL PGOV PTER PINR UNSC LE MARR MOPS SY 
pdf how-to read a cable
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PP RUEHAG RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHKUK RUEHROV
DE RUEHLB #1406/01 2691420
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 251420Z SEP 08
FM AMEMBASSY BEIRUT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 3166
INFO RUEHEE/ARAB LEAGUE COLLECTIVE
RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 2975
RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO 3188
RHMFISS/CDR USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL
RHEHAAA/NSC WASHDC
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 BEIRUT 001406 

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: 09/24/2018
TAGS: PREL PGOV PTER PINR UNSC LE MARR MOPS SY
SUBJECT: LEBANON: CHRISTIAN RECONCILIATION UNLIKELY,
DESPITE GEAGEA'S APOLOGY

REF: A. BEIRUT 1395

B. BEIRUT 1360

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

SUMMARY
--------

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 BEIRUT 001406

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: 09/24/2018
TAGS: PREL PGOV PTER PINR UNSC LE MARR MOPS SY
SUBJECT: LEBANON: CHRISTIAN RECONCILIATION UNLIKELY,
DESPITE GEAGEA'S APOLOGY

REF: A. BEIRUT 1395

B. BEIRUT 1360

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

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


1. (SBU) Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea apologized for
mistakes made by the Lebanese Forces during the 1975-90 civil
war and called for unity and reconciliation during his
September 21 speech before tens of thousands of supporters at
a ceremony honoring Lebanese Forces members killed during the
war. His remarks were praised by pro-March 14 political
figures and notably, independent MP Michel Murr. But two
pro-opposition Christian leaders and Geagea rivals, Suleiman
Franjieh and Michel Aoun, dismissed Geagea's remarks as
insincere and little more than rhetoric. A recent clash
between Geagea's Lebanese Forces and Franjieh's Marada party
sparked renewed calls for reconciliation among Lebanese
Christians in the wake of recent "reconciliation" meetings
between Druze and Sunnis on the one hand, and Hizballah on
the other. However, given the criticism directed at Geagea by
opposition Christians following his speech, we see such
reconciliation as unlikely in the near term. End summary.

GEAGEA CALLS FOR
CHRISTIAN UNITY
--------------


2. (SBU) Lebanese Forces (LF) leader Samir Geagea apologized
for actions taken by LF during the Civil War at a memorial
ceremony honoring LF members killed during the war on
September 21. The gathering, held in the town of Jounieh,
was attended by other prominent Christian political figures,
including Geagea's March 14 Christian allies, former
President Amine Gemayel and MP Nayla Mouawad, members of the
government, and tens of thousands of supporters. Geagea's

speech came only four days after LF supporter Pierre Ishaq
and rival Marada member Youssef Franjieh were killed when
clashes broke out between the two parties in the northern
town of Bsarma on September 17.


3. (SBU) In his speech, Geagea called upon "the people of
Lebanon" to look forward to unity and reconciliation and
insisted that Christian unity was the key. In the speech,
Geagea apologized for "mistakes that we committed when we
were carrying out our national duties during past Civil War
years." Geagea posed several rhetorical questions in his
speech aimed at discrediting his Christian rivals Suleiman
Franjieh and Michel Aoun who have allied with Hizballah. "Do
you want us to unite over bringing Syrian authority back to
Lebanon;" "Do you want us to unite over the practice of
camping in Beirut as a means to change and reform?;" and "We
aim to unite, but over what? Over Hizballah's weapons, at
the expense of the Lebanese state, until the liberation of
Palestine and the resolution of the Middle East Peace
Process, or until the investigation with the Army Command
regarding sending the helicopter to a Hizballah location."

PRAISE FROM ALLIES
--------------


4. (C) Geagea's remarks received praise from a number of
political leaders. In a September 22 meeting with the
Ambassador, Greek Orthodox MP Michel Murr, who is not aligned
with either the opposition or the majority, endorsed Geagea's
remarks and assessed Geagea's approach as positive. Murr
declared to the press the same day his support for Geagea's
position on "issues of principle," which he noted enjoys
widespread support. Accepting the apology, Murr said, "I got
over the personal issue. I forgot it." (Note: Geagea was
found guilty and served years in prison, in part for
attempting to kill Murr. End note.)


5. (C) The March 14 Secretariat, in a recent newsletter,
praised Geagea's "mea culpa" and stressed the importance of
apologies saying, "Unless you are ready to admit your
mistakes and apologize, you do not deserve the right to live

BEIRUT 00001406 002 OF 003


with others."

FRANJIEH: A LEOPARD
CANNOT CHANGE ITS SPOTS
--------------


6. (C) Opposition leaders were swift to deliver their
criticisms against Geagea. During a September 22 press
conference, Former MP and Marada party leader Suleiman
Franjieh acknowledged that Geagea had apologized, but added
that Geagea simultaneously "launched a campaign against Aoun
and me." Franjieh added, "A leopard cannot change its
spots." (Note: Franjieh's parents were killed in 1978 by
Kataeb (Phalangist) militiamen, an act attributed to Geagea,
a Kataeb member at that time. End note.)


7. (C) Franjieh further stated that he does not consider te
apology to be sincere because Geagea couched i as part of
"carrying out his national duty." Nvertheless, Franjieh
accepted the apology and challenged Geagea "to go to
reconciliation. At the same time, Franjieh accused Geagea of
apologizing only because the latter's March 14 counterparts
pressured him to do so.


8. (C) Franjieh advisors, Rony Araygi and Richard Haykal,
told Pol/Econ Chief on September 24 that Franjieh and the
Marada party do not "trust" Geagea. If Geagea really wants
reconciliation, they said, then Geagea would participate in a
dialogue with all Christian groups to achieve Christian
unity. Franjieh believes that the role of President Sleiman
in any such talks is the key to move forward and is pushing
for Sleiman's participation. However, Aryaji and Haykal were
unaware whether Sleiman had agreed to assume the position as
mediator. (Note: Press reports on September 25 indicate
Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir blessed the reconciliation
efforts of the Maronite League after he was urged by
President Sleiman, prior to his September 23-25 visit to the
U.S., to help achieve unity among Lebanese Christians. It is
not clear, however, if Sleiman intends to play the role of
mediator himself. End note.)

OTHER OPPOSITION LEADERS
DEEM APOLOGY "INSINCERE"
--------------


9. (C) Head of Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) and
opposition-allied Christian leader Michel Aoun found fault
with the apology's intended recipients, saying that Geagea
should have specifically directed his remorse to Franjieh,
former Prime Minister Omar Karami, and head of National
Liberal Party Dory Chamoun. FPM's website alleged that
Geagea's speech was motivated by parliamentary elections
aspirations. Hizballah MP Mohammed Raad, during a condolence
call to Franjieh, accused Geagea of making an apology to
avoid reconciliation.

WHY WAS JUMBLATT MUM?
--------------


10. (C) Some political observers noted that Druze leader and
March 14 figure Walid Jumblatt had refrained from commenting
on his March 14 partner Geagea's apology and interpreted his
silence as a sign of discontent. Druze Minister Wael Abu
Faour, one of Jumblatt's close advisors, confirmed to LES
Senior Political Advisor that Jumblatt was unhappy with
Geagea's remarks. He explained that Jumblatt interpreted
Geagea's references to civil war alliances as reintroducing
political problems at the expense of national unity.

BSARMA INCIDENT REMAINS
A THORN IN GEAGEA'S APOLOGY
--------------


11. (C) With LES Senior Political Advisor, former Minister of
Foreign Affairs Jean Obeid dismissed Geagea's apology as
"just a maneuver," explaining that if Geagea were serious, he
would have answered Franjieh's phone call the day Geagea was
released from prison. (Note: According to Geagea's advisor
Elie Khoury, when Geagea was released from prison in 2005,
Franjieh had tried to reach out to Geagea through a

BEIRUT 00001406 003 OF 003


journalist intermediary. The journalist purportedly did not
transmit the message appropriately to Geagea, who then
boarded a plane to Paris and the matter was dropped
altogether. End note.) Obeid also said Geagea would have
reached out to Karami prior to his formal apology, if he was
sincere.

COMMENT
--------------


12. (C) This is not the first time there has been talk of a
Geagea-Franjieh reconciliation. In June, Geagea advisor Elie
Khoury disclosed to PolOff that he and Franjieh aide Araygi
had been discussing thawing the relations between their
bosses. According to Khoury at the time, Geagea was making
overtures to Franjieh as part of a larger strategy to make
alliances in anticipation of the parliamentary elections. We
heard that Franjieh's aid said that the LF's efforts were
"too late."


13. (C) Other recent "reconciliation" meetings, i.e., between
Druze and Sunni on the one hand, and Hizballah on the other,
were focused on easing tensions between the parties and to
prevent further sectarian clashes. Geagea and Franjieh do
not appear ready to follow suit. The multitude of criticism
targeted at Geagea by opposition leaders suggests
reconciliation is unlikely in the near term, without some
other party as mediator, such as President Sleiman. End
comment.
GRANT