Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08BEIRUT1770
2008-12-18 14:38:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Beirut
Cable title:  

LEBANON: ON GHAJAR, UN SEES NEED TO ACT, SAYS

Tags:  PREL PGOV PTER PINR UNSC MARR MOPS LE SY 
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PP RUEHAG RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHKUK RUEHROV RUEHSR
DE RUEHLB #1770/01 3531438
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 181438Z DEC 08
FM AMEMBASSY BEIRUT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 3805
INFO RUEHEE/ARAB LEAGUE COLLECTIVE
RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 3277
RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO 3487
RHMFISS/CDR USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL
RHEHAAA/NSC WASHDC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BEIRUT 001770 

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR NEA/FO, NEA/ELA
ALSO FOR IO A/S HOOK, PDAS WARLICK
P FOR DRUSSELL AND RRANGASWAMY
USUN FOR KHALILZAD/WOLFF/GERMAIN/SCHEDLBAUER
NSC FOR ABRAMS/RAMCHAND/YERGER/MCDERMOTT

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/18/2018
TAGS: PREL PGOV PTER PINR UNSC MARR MOPS LE SY
SUBJECT: LEBANON: ON GHAJAR, UN SEES NEED TO ACT, SAYS
UNIFIL

Classified By: Ambassador Michele J. Sison for reasons 1.4
(b) and (d).

Summary
-------

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BEIRUT 001770

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR NEA/FO, NEA/ELA
ALSO FOR IO A/S HOOK, PDAS WARLICK
P FOR DRUSSELL AND RRANGASWAMY
USUN FOR KHALILZAD/WOLFF/GERMAIN/SCHEDLBAUER
NSC FOR ABRAMS/RAMCHAND/YERGER/MCDERMOTT

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/18/2018
TAGS: PREL PGOV PTER PINR UNSC MARR MOPS LE SY
SUBJECT: LEBANON: ON GHAJAR, UN SEES NEED TO ACT, SAYS
UNIFIL

Classified By: Ambassador Michele J. Sison for reasons 1.4
(b) and (d).

Summary
--------------


1. (C) Milos Strugar, UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL)
Senior Political Adviser said that because progress had
stalled on UNIFIL's proposal that Israel transfer the
northern half of Ghajar to Lebanese control, the UN was
taking proactive steps to keep the proposal from floundering.
The next step will be UN Special Coordinator on Lebanon
(UNSCOL) Michael Williams' trip to Tel Aviv on December 21-23
to get first hand information from Israel on what Israel is
willing to do on Ghajar. Following that, Williams will meet
with Prime Minister Siniora. It is important that Siniora
remain patient and not react negatively to the response
Israel has presented so far, he stressed. Strugar opined
that Hizballah is very focused on the spring parliamentary
elections and not on military action. On the search for
fugitive Fatah al-Islam (FAI) members in the Ain al-Hilweh
Palestinian camp, Strugar cautioned that if Palestinian
security forces do not capture extremist Abdel Awad soon, the
Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) would take action to capture him.
Strugar claimed Syria has been more forthcoming with
intelligence to help capture terror cell suspects in northern
Lebanon, which he attributed to Syrian concerns following the
2008 bombing in Damascus. End Summary

GHAJAR: BALL IN UN COURT
--------------


2. (C) On December 17, Milos Strugar, UNIFIL Senior Political
Advisor updated the DCM and PolMilOff on Ghajar, Hizballah,
cross-border smuggling and the search for suspected
terrorists in the Ain al-Hilweh camp. UNIFIL PolOff Cornelia
Frank also attended. On Ghajar, Strugar explained that since

the Israeli response of November 20 in which they neither
rejected nor accepted the UNIFIL proposal for Israeli
withdrawal from north Ghajar, the process had stalled. He
added there was some work to do in understanding better the
Israeli response, and that UN Special Coordinator Michael
Williams' December 21-23 trip to Tel Aviv would hopefully
clarify the current Israeli position and Israel's' views
about moving negotiations forward. Strugar reiterated that
any talks will only be bi-lateral between the UN and each
party respectively. He believed that Israel was
foot-dragging on the Ghajar withdrawal in anticipation of its
February elections for a new Prime Minister, as well as the
spring 2009 Lebanese parliamentary elections. The Israelis
want to see what the new Lebanese government will look like
before agreeing on Ghajar, he thought.


3. (C) Strugar believed that any progress on the turnover of
Ghajar would require Lebanese PM Siniora to maintain patience
with Israeli intransigence, just as he did when the November
20 Israeli response did not meet his expectations for Israeli
action. If Siniora expects the Israelis to accept a date of
withdrawal soon "He won't get it" Strugar cautioned. He
suggested the Israelis were evaluating the Ghajar withdrawal
issue vis a vis Hizballah only and because of this
single-focused view, they are not seeing the advantages of
leaving Ghajar. Interestingly, he didn't believe the issue
of north Ghajar residents maintaining their Israeli
citizenship while living, eventually, on Lebanese soil was an
obstacle in the negotiation process. He stated the issue had
been sorted out technically and settled upon months ago.

POLITICIANS NOT FIGHTERS
HIZBALLAH FOCUSED,
--------------


4. (C) Emboffs asked about Hizballah. Strugar said that it
was focused on the spring parliamentary elections. He
assessed that Hizballah had no plans for military action and
stressed that UNIFIL had limited Hizballah's capacity to
operate openly in the UNIFIL AOR south of the Litani River.
On security in the south and border area, Strugar said there
were very few incidents between UNIFIL patrols and local

BEIRUT 00001770 002 OF 002


residents. He declared that weapons smuggling was difficult
to monitor and UNIFIL had not witnessed any arms smuggling,
but he recognized that nearly every home in the UNIFIL area
of operation probably had a weapon. He praised the activity
of the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) in working with UNIFIL,
and said it had performed well when manning check-points and
conducting searches. In response to a question on LAF
intelligence gathering capacity, he said the Lebanese
soldiers had the greatest ability to "really know," and the
LAF was good at sharing their intel.

THANK YOU FOR SMOKING
--------------


5. (C) Noting the low but consistent level of smuggling
through the UNIFIL area of operation, Strugar emphasized that
most activity was "commercial smuggling" with cigarettes, a
highly trafficked item. He cautioned that strong action
against smugglers would incite the local populace against
UNIFIL and LAF personnel.

TERRORIST FUGITIVES HAVE
LITTLE TIME LEFT TO HIDE
--------------

6.(C) Strugar commented on security in the Palestinian camp
Ain al-Hilweh (near Sidon, outside of UNIFIL's area of
operation in south Lebanon). He thought the search for the
extremist Abdel Awad who is believed to be the successor to
Fatah al-Islam leader Shaker al-Abssi and is hiding in the
camp, would not last long. If Awad was not caught by
Palestinian security forces in the next few weeks, the LAF
would take action to capture him, Strugar believed.
Referring to security in the Beddawi camp near Tripoli in the
far north , Strugar said the Syrians had been cooperative in
sharing intelligence on Fatah al-Islam and other groups in
the camp. He believed the September bombing in Damascus was
the impetus to the SARG's cooperation. He added that the
Syrians have a two groups of Palestinians working on
intelligence gathering for them in the camp.

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

7. (C) On security in the Palestinian camps, Strugar never
disclosed his sources of information and we don't normally
hear news of LAF activity outside of the UNIFIL area of
responsibility from UNIFIL interlocutors, but Strugar spoke
with conviction about the LAF taking action if Abdel Awad was
not found soon.

SISON