LEBANON: RESIGNED FM SALLOUKH ON PRESIDENTIAL

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BEIRUT 000405

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

NSC FOR ABRAMS/SINGH/GAVITO
DEPT PASS TO EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/18/2018
TAGS: PGOV PREL PTER FR IS LE
SUBJECT: LEBANON: RESIGNED FM SALLOUKH ON PRESIDENTIAL
POSTPONEMENT, POSTERS

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


1. (C) BEGIN SUMMARY. Charge Sison met with &resigned8 FM
Salloukh, at his request, on March 14. Salloukh raised
concerns about the White House spokesperson,s
characterization of the sixteenth postponement of Lebanon,s
presidential elections. In return, Salloukh got an earful on
our displeasure over the prominent display of graphic
anti-U.S. and anti-UN posters that appeared at several Beirut
locations. END SUMMARY.


2. (C) MFA Protocol Secretary Ambassador George Siam
telephoned CDA on March 12 with the unusual request to meet
with &resigned8 FM Salloukh. A career diplomat, Salloukh
was one of the six Shia ministers who tendered their
resignations in November 2006 (although the resignations have
not yet been accepted). While the Embassy deals with Acting
FM Mitri on policy issues, some topics (including the signing
of an MOU between the US and GOL on bilateral assistance)
remain under the purview of Salloukh's team. CDA noted the
Salloukh request to March 14 Telecommunications Minister
Marwan Hamedeh, along with the idea of using the appointment
to hit Salloukh on Hizballah,s recent plastering of several
areas of Beirut with graphic anti-U.S. and anti-UN posters.
(Salloukh has no political party affiliation but was brought
into the Siniora cabinet in 2005 as a Shia member during
negotiations with Hizballah.) Hamedeh expressed enthusiasm
for the idea, and later took copies of the posters to use
during his upcoming trip to the United States as examples of
Hizballah propaganda.


WHITE HOUSE ON PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION POSTPONEMENT
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3. (C) Salloukh opened the meeting by noting sincerely that
his intent was to have a friendly discussion. After about
thirty minutes of niceties, he asked Charge about recent
comments made by the White House Press Secretary, in which
she described the sixteenth postponement of Lebanon,s
opening session of Parliament as & unacceptable.8 Lebanese
news outlets had given the impression that the comments
originated in a press release; Charge noted that the remarks
had in fact occurred during a press gaggle. Charge made clear
to Salloukh, however, that this was the USG position, and
reiterated Perino,s other comment that outside interference
in Lebanon,s political process should cease and desist.
Charge noted that such comments displayed USG concerns, as a
friend of Lebanon, for Lebanon,s future.


ANTI-U.S., ANTI-UN POSTERS
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4. (C) The Charge then registered a protest with Salloukh
about virulent anti-U.S. and anti-UN posters that had
appeared in recent days in Beirut. She showed him photographs
of the offending posters taken earlier in the week (some of
the poster designs had appeared earlier but others were new).
One photo was of UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon wearing
eyeglasses with Israeli and American pasted over the lenses
with a caption that read, "How do you see the truth?" Another
photo was of the Secretary depicted as a vampire with a dead
baby in front of her, with the slogan "America is the mother
of terrorism" printed below. The third had a photo of Ban Ki
Moon in front of a mirror showing a reflection of President
Bush, with the words "Made by Me" printed below. The fourth
showed a collage of faces, including President Bush, the
Secretary, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations John

SIPDIS
Bolton, former French President Chirac, and Israeli PM Olmert
with a caption reading, "Bloodsuckers, they thought they were
men and honored them in America. In Lebanon they were
defeated in history,s trash can, into which they were
thrown." The first three posters were spotted on the highway
near UNIFIL house, while the fourth was seen on the airport
road. After a few feeble arguments regarding the authenticity
of the photos, Salloukh and Siam agreed that the posters were
offensive and transgressed the limits of freedom of
expression. However, Salloukh argued such posters were
"anti-U.S. policy, not anti-American."


BEIRUT 00000405 002 OF 002



A PLEA TO REACH OUT TO NABIH BERRI; VIEWS ON A SLEIMAN
PRESIDENCY
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5, (C) Salloukh asked that the Embassy keep the channels of
communication open with "all parties," specifically citing
Speaker Nabih Berri. Charge reassured Salloukh that she and
Embassy staff met regularly with representatives of Amal,
including Berri. Berri was "trying his best" to come up with
a solution to the ongoing political crisis, said Salloukh.
Berri was "the best person" to develop an initiative to reach
a solution to the political impasse, he averred. Berri was
ready to open the Parliament if a deal on the presidency and
cabinet were reached. Gen. Sleiman was the consensus
candidate for the presidency, but there needed to be
agreement on cabinet formation and a fair and equitable
electoral law. If Sleiman were elected without agreement on
these two issues, he argued, he would quickly be entrenched
in a huge political fight before his term even began, greatly
weakening a Sleiman presidency.


SYRIAN INVITATION TO THE ARAB LEAGUE SUMMIT
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6. (C) Salloukh appeared uncomfortable when the question of
the Syrian Deputy FM,s delivery of the Arab League Summit
invitation was raised. He joked (after accepting copies of
the offending posters) that he would send the Charge out the
back door of the Ministry to avoid press "the same way we led
the Syrian out yesterday." Salloukh also made an appeal for
U.S. public support for the Arab League initiative vis--vis
Lebanon.

COMMENT
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7. (C) By March 16, all but the poster of the Secretary had
been removed. By March 18, not even these posters were in
view. The UN also complained directly to Hizballah regarding
the posters. END COMMENT
SISON