LEBANON: NEW GOL BORDER PLAN DISAPPOINTS DONORS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 BEIRUT 001584 SIPDIS DEPT FOR NEA/FO, NEA/ELA, NEA/PI ALSO FOR IO A/S HOOK AND PDAS WARLICK ALSO FOR ISN PDAS PMCNERNEY, ISN/CPI FOR MEYERS, ISN/ECC FOR VPSAROS P FOR DRUSSELL AND RRANGASWAMY USUN FOR KHALILZAD/WOLFF/SCHEDLBAUER/GERMAIN NSC FOR ABRAMS/YERGER/MCDERMOTT/RAMCHAND INL FOR DJOHNSON AND ABLOOMQUIST OSD FOR EDELMAN/LONG/STRAUB/DALTON E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/04/2018 TAGS: EAID MARR MCAP PBTS PGOV PINR PREL EC LE SY SUBJECT: LEBANON: NEW GOL BORDER PLAN DISAPPOINTS DONORS REF: AMBASSADOR MICHELE J. SISON FOR REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D). SUMMARY -------------- ¶1. (C) In an October 31 meeting, PM Siniora told international donors that the GOL planned to create a national border force to operate along Lebanon's border with Syria. He acknowledged that parliamentary approval would be needed to proceed with such a plan. However, Siniora felt this was a minor detail and wanted to proceed with the GOL's plan, which he submitted to donors in the form of a technical paper. He then added that the GOL would turn to the donor community to further develop the paper and address the socio-economic needs of Lebanese citizens residing along the border. Siniora said the GOL supports the recent Syrian deployments along the border. He also said the GOL wants greater cooperation with Syria on border security but gave no indication such efforts have started or that Syria has agreed. EC Chief of Mission Patrick Laurant urged the GOL to move more slowly, offered Siniora the EU's recommendations, and suggested a donor work plan to suit the EU's mid-November internal deadline for funding proposals. End Summary. SINIORA ANNOUNCES GOL TO CREATE NATIONAL BORDER FORCE -------------- ¶2. (C) On October 31, Emboffs attended the first joint meeting between GOL officials and select international donor representatives to discuss the creation and implementation of a GOL-designed border security plan. Siniora announced that the GOL had decided to create a national border force to operate along Lebanon's land border with Syria. Siniora recognized that the creation of a new GOL security agency will require parliamentary approval, but that it would be years before any legislation was passed to establish such an agency. Therefore, Siniora said, the GOL would create a Common Border Force, or CBF, similar to the one operating under the auspices of the German-led Northern Border Pilot Project (NBPP),to work along the eastern border. Currently ;the CBF is composed of Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF),Internal Security Forces (ISF),Customs, and General Security (Immigration). ¶3. (C) Siniora briefed the donor community on the GOL's border security technical paper (Post has transmitted electronically to NEA/ELA). The LAF-drafted plan recommends extending the NBPP eastward in two phases. The first phase would extend the NBPP eastward by 90 kilometers from the Fissan Valley region to the Nahelh mountains in the northern Baalbeck region. This new "pilot phase" would be evaluated from November 2008 to November 2009. If successful, the second phase of the project calls for the GOL to extend the area of operations of the CBF by an additional 130 kilometers south from the Nahleh mountains to the northern edge of the Shebaa village in the south. The paper also proposes that a new headquarters be built in the Hermel or Ras Baalbeck area, with an LAF Brigadier-General or LAF Colonel to lead the force. The estimated number of personnel for the first stage would be approximately 1,500 officers. No estimates were provided for the second phase of the strategy. ¶4. (C) Siniora acknowledged that a more detailed national border security strategy is needed. However, he believes that donors should work together to draft such a strategy while the GOL focuses on its plan to move eastward. Later, Siniora suggested that a joint working group be formed between the GOL and donor community to further develop the GOL-drafted technical paper into a broader, more complete, national border security strategy. BEIRUT 00001584 002 OF 003 ¶5. (C) Siniora urged the donor community to financially support the GOL's plan and added that donors must also develop projects in the areas around the border to address the socio-economic concerns, which result in illegal border crossings. Siniora decided that by November 4, the working group should meet and that by November 7, the broader steering committee should follow up with the working group. (Note: Post was not informed about a November 4 meeting, but has received an invitation to participate in the November 7 larger meeting with other donors. End Note.) EC Recommends Slower Approach to Expansion, but Urges Plans to Be Finalized by Mid-November -------------- ¶6. (C) EC Chief of Mission Patrick Laurant urged the GOL not to move too quickly and suggested a slower step-by-step approach. Laurant proposed that the GOL proceed in three steps. First, it should develop a border strategy that takes into consideration the GOL's operational and strategic plans towards border security for all Lebanon's borders and points of entry. This strategy should be developed by mid-November, according to Laurant. (Note: Laurant later said that the mid-November deadline was set in order to meet the EU internal funding deadline to secure funding to extend the NBPP eastward. End Note) Second, the GOL should first attempt to implement this new plan in the north under the auspices of the German-led NBPP. Finally, Laurant said that after a period of evaluation, and only if successful, the GOL should then attempt to extend the NBPP eastward, but slowly and in different phases. ¶7. (C) Laurant added that the GOL should also determine the composition of the CBF. He said that the GOL itself should determine whether or not a future CBF operating along the eastern border resembles the CBF currently operating in the north or whether it should be composed solely of LAF or ISF personnel. COOPERATION WITH SYRIA IS KEY -------------- ¶8. (C) Siniora then commented positively on the recent Syrian troop deployments along the border. He said the Syria alerted the GOL about the deployments and that the GOL was not troubled by the Syrian move. To the contrary, Siniora said, the deployments were very significant and demonstrated Syria's seriousness about implementing UNSCR 1701. He added that the GOL could take advantage of the Syrian deployments to tighten its own security along the border. ¶9. (C) Siniora noted the importance of Syrian cooperation in implementing the new GOL strategy. Nothing he presented, however, indicated that the Syrians had agreed to improved cooperation or even that the Lebanese had approached Syria about this. The technical paper, under the heading "Cooperation with Syria", mentions increasing the number of official border crossing points, as well as the need to address the problem of the Palestinian outposts along the border. The paper adds that demarcation of the border would be a necessary step, as well as solving the problem of Syrian army posts inside Lebanese territory. This is in addition to increased security cooperation and exchange of intelligence information on all items related to border security, according to the paper. The GOL officials noted that there would be increased efforts on the GOL side to engage the SARG on border security issues. (Note: Siniora was quite vague as to how the GOL would proceed with the new cooperation with Syria. It has been widely reported in the press that Minister of Interior Ziyad Baroud will be traveling to BEIRUT 00001584 003 OF 003 Damascus in the future. It is unknown whether or not border security will be one of the topics on his agenda. End Note.) GERMANS WANT TO REPRESENT ENTIRE DONOR COMMUNITY ON BORDER SECURITY ISSUE -------------- ¶10. (C) The German Charge, Irene Plank, stated that the GOL's drafting of a border security technical paper was a very good sign that the Lebanon was taking ownership of its borders. Plank suggested that the international donors be represented by a German embassy official and an EC mission representative in the working group meetings. However, Siniora requested that additional donors be included in the working group. LAF Chief of Staff, General Chawki Masri, added that all of the donors, especially the GOL's largest bilateral donors, should be nvolved in the working group. (Note. Masri made a special point of looking down at the end of the table where UK and U.S. Emboffs were positioned. In the elevator ride after the meeting, General Masri said the PM was aware of the important role the U.S. could play in any future donor-funded border project and he wanted to make that point publicly during the meeting. End Note.) PARLIAMENT NEEDS TO GET INVOLVED IN BORDER SECURITY STRATEGY -------------- ¶11. (C) Laurant urged the GOL to get the parliament involved, as the creation of a CBF would require its approval. Therefore, Laurant suggested that the GOL include an MP who would be involved with drafting the legislation. Minister of Interior Ziyad Baroud and Siniora both agreed with Laurant that Parliament would have to create a new law to officially form the CBF, but added that this should not halt the establishment of a CBF for the eastern border. COMMENT -------------- ¶12. (C) We are unimpressed with the GOL plan. In our view, the Common Border Force in its current form should not be replicated for the eastern border before the necessary legislation to give such a force a mandate is even drafted. The GOL technical paper is sorely deficient, as it lacks any strategic and operational objectives or proposals on how such a force can realistically and logistically be created. The paper includes no details on Syrian/Lebanese cooperation or on how to deal with Palestinian camps along the border. ¶13. (C) We are also troubled that Siniora tasked donors with further developing Lebanon's border strategy, while simultaneously declaring that the GOL will continue the CBF (with donor funding) along the eastern border. In addition, throughout the meeting the German officials seemed more focused on maintaining their control over the border security programs, and the EU on meeting its own internal funding deadline, than with the GOL developing the best possible border security strategy. No one present raised the point that the GOL should be the party responsible for creating a real national border security strategy. ¶14. (C) The GOL appears determined to go eastward on its own timeline. The expressed goal of cooperating with Syria on border security is a good sign, as long as the Syrians are equally committed to the goal of securing the border. The full Donor's Group will meet November 7 to discuss response to the GOL. End Comment. SISON