LEBANON: PRESIDENT SLEIMAN DECLINES IRAN'S OFFER

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 BEIRUT 001698 SIPDIS DEPT FOR NEA/FO, NEA/ELA, PM/FO ALSO FOR IO A/S HOOK, WARLICK P FOR DRUSSELL, RRANGASWAMY USUN FOR KHALILZAD/WOLFF/SCHEDLBAUER NSC FOR ABRAMS/YERGER/MCDERMOTT/RAMCHAND E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/26/2018 TAGS: PREL PGOV PTER PINR UNSC MARR MOPS SY IR IS LE SUBJECT: LEBANON: PRESIDENT SLEIMAN DECLINES IRAN'S OFFER OF ARMS Classified By: Ambassador Michele J. Sison for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). SUMMARY -------------- ¶1. (C) During President Michel Sleiman's November 24-25 trip to Tehran, the Iranians had made a general offer of military support to Lebanon, and Sleiman diplomatically declined, Sleiman's Diplomatic Advisor Naji Abi Assi told us in a readout of the trip. Ayatollah Khamenei expressed his respect for the Lebanese state and declared that Lebanon is a model of coexistence that must be preserved, Abi Assi said. Khamenei took a jab at Syria for its indirect talks with Israel by asserting that, "Resistance is the only way to deal with Israel." ¶2. (C) Abi Assi said Sleiman is using his trips abroad in part to persuade Syria and SAUDI Arabia, through their allies, not to interfere in Lebanon by excessively supporting one faction against another. In addition, Sleiman, whom Abi Assi was confident would not form his own parliamentary candidates bloc, is encouraging both the opposition and March 14 to include moderate candidates on their electoral lists. End summary. SLEIMAN MENTIONS UN RESOLUTIONS, DELIBERATELY -------------- ¶3. (C) DCM, accompanied by PolOff, met with President Michel Sleiman's Diplomatic Advisor Ambassador Naji Abi Assi on November 26 to discuss President Sleiman's November 24-25 visit to Tehran. Abi Assi accompanied Sleiman on the trip, along with a delegation of ministers that was balanced, as usual for Sleiman's foreign trips, among confessions and political coalitions. They included Foreign Minister Fawzi Salloukh, Interior Minister Ziad Baroud, Labor Minister Mohammed Fneish of Hizballah, Economy Minister Mohammed Safadi, Minister for the Displaced Raymond Audi, and Industry Minister Ghazi Zoayter. Abi Assi said the ministers held meetings with their Iranian counterparts. In response to DCM's question, he said that Fneish, the one Hizballah minister, had not said or done anything unusual or surprising during the trip. ¶4. (C) In addition to MEETING President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Abi Assi reported that Sleiman also met Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, National Security Council member and former negotiator on Iran's nuclear file Ali Larijani and Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki. While he believed the Iranians all spoke Arabic, Abi Assi said a translator was used for all meetings. ¶5. (C) Abi Assi noted that Sleiman had delayed going to Iran since receiving an invitation in July and indicated that one factor in that decision was wanting to travel to Washington before Tehran. He called to our attention differences in the two presidents' public statements at a joint press conference. In his statement (text sent to NEA/ELA),Sleiman talked of the "need to apply UN resolutions, particularly resolution 1701, and fully restore Lebanon's rights and territories by all legitimate available means." Iranian president Ahmadinejad avoided any mention of UN resolutions. IRAN IS READY TO OFFER ARMS; NO AGREEMENTS WERE SIGNED -------------- ¶6. (C) The Lebanese delegation toured the Ministry of Defense, where they viewed models of Iranian surface-to-surface missiles and rockets (the Fajr, Zelzal, and Shahab types). Abi Assi insisted that Sleiman did not inquire about arms assistance and that no agreements were signed with the Iranians. The Iranians declared their readiness to offer arms to Lebanon without providing a specific "shopping list." Sleiman diplomatically declined, saying it could be discussed at a later date, Abi Assi reported. BEIRUT 00001698 002 OF 003 ¶7. (C) The Lebanese did not visit any other military-related sites and did not meet with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, Abi Assi said. The political leaders made promises to form committees to address shared economic issues, but did not make progress to ease Lebanese visa restrictions to Iranians, which Iran sought. SUPREME LEADER DELIVERED MESSAGES OF RESPECT FOR THE LEBANESE STATE; COEXISTENCE -------------- ¶8. (C) Abi Assi said there were no surprises in Sleiman's meeting Ahmadinejad, who made his usual pronouncements against Israel, saying, "Israel will disappear one day with God's will. Finding Khamenei "more interesting," Abi Assi recounted several messages Sleiman received from the Supreme Leader. First, Khamenei conveyed his respect and appreciation for Sleiman, saying that he did not know him well, but heard positive reports from when Sleiman served as Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) Commander. ¶9. (C) Second, Khamenei reportedly praised Lebanon as a "country of dialogue" where Christians and Muslims from all denominations co-exist. Khamenei said Lebanon was a model that should be "preserved." Moreover, Khamenei reportedly emphasized that no community should oppress another in Lebanon. Abi Assi remarked that he was surprised at the statements of support for Lebanon's institutions, with Khamenei saying "If the state is strong, everyone is strong." "RESISTANCE IS ONLY WAY TO DEAL WITH ISRAEL" -------------- ¶10. (C) As expected, the Iranians expressed strong support for Hizballah. "Resistance is the only way to deal with Israel," Abi Assi quoted Khamenei as saying, using the traditional code word for Hizballah but never referring to it by name. Khamenei also reportedly took aim at Syria by declaring, "All negotiations with ISRAEL will lead to concessions and humiliation." He reiterated that the best way to deal with ISRAEL is to challenge it through resistance. Abi Assi intuited that the Iranians were cautious of Syria and watching closely its negotiations with Israel. He noted that he had the impression that the Iranians were pleased that Lebanon does not talk to Israel. SUNNI TERRORISM IS A THREAT -------------- ¶11. (C) When Sleiman spoke of confronting terrorism in Lebanon, Khamenei reportedly agreed terrorism was an issue, saying that "certain countries (that) supported and financed terrorists" are now being hurt by terrorists. Abi Assi interpreted Khamenei's statement to refer to SAUDI Arabia and the U.S., and to mean only Sunni terrorists. DIVERGING OPINIONS BETWEEN MFA AND PRESIDENT? -------------- ¶12. (C) Abi Assi noted that he had heard the Iranian MFA held different opinions than Ahmadinejad. He relayed a dinner conversation he had with a former Iranian ambassador to Syria who now holds a high-ranking position at the MFA working on Arab affairs (NFI). Abi Assi inquired whether the Iranians would participate in a hypothetical peace conference with Iran sponsored by the U.S., and the diplomat's response was "Maybe." ¶13. (C) Abi Assi pressed further, asking if Iran would participate if the conference were based on the Arab Peace Initiative (API),to which the former ambassador reportedly responded by pointing out that the Israelis had initially rejected the API, but are now considering it because the "balance of power has changed against Israel." The Iranian BEIRUT 00001698 003 OF 003 said he hoped that the coming months would further alter the balance against Israel, and implied that once this happened, Iran could be willing to engage with Israel. NEXT STEPS WITH IRAN -------------- ¶14. (C) As he has on other foreign trips, Sleiman invited his counterpart to Lebanon. Abi Assi expressed his doubt that Ahmadinejad would do so before Iran's February elections. Abi Assi said he thought it would be useful if Interior Minister Ziad Baroud returned to Iran to establish links on a government level, separate from Hizballah's links with Iran. Abi Assi deduced that the Iranians did not want conflict in Lebanon. They never mentioned the spring 2009 parliamentary elections, he noted. INTERNAL POLITICS: SYRIANS AND SAUDIS MUST SUPPORT THE MODERATES -------------- ¶15. (C) Abi Assi noted a link Sleiman is making between his foreign trips and Lebanon's domestic politics. He is using the trips to pass messages to Syria and SAUDI Arabia, through allies, not to interfere in the 2009 Lebanese elections. His other objectives for these trips are to establish relations with foreign leaders, demonstrate that Lebanon has returned to normalcy, obtain assistance in fighting terrorism in Lebanon, pass the message that a resolution to the Palestinian refugee issue not include naturalization of those in Lebanon and signal to Lebanese expatriates that, "Lebanon is back on its feet." Sleiman will travel to Germany December 3 and, likely, to Jordan after that. ¶16. (C) Abi Assi also claimed that Sleiman is communicating the same message to Lebanese political leaders allied with Syria and SAUDI Arabia: that interference through excessive support for one faction against another will lead to instability, to the detriment of Syrian and SAUDI interests. According to Abi Assi, Sleiman is warning his counterparts that "another May" will occur if foreign powers interfere. Instead, they need to support the moderates in Lebanon, Abi Assi said. Abi Assi stated definitively that Sleiman would not form his own parliamentary bloc, but that he is trying to encourage both March 8 and March 14 to include moderate candidates on their lists. COMMENT -------------- ¶17. (C) From our perspective, Sleiman's trip went just as he hoped. He felt he had to include Iran among the countries important for Lebanon that he should visit but was wary to avoid public diplomacy traps or commitments that would generate criticism at home (or from us). He did that. Our Lebanese allies in March 14 have not expressed particular concern about Sleiman's trip, even if they believe Lebanon will derive no benefits. By contrast, his trip to Syria early in his presidency and Interior Minister Baroud's trip to Damascus last month generated more March 14 angst. End Comment. SISON