LEBANON: RECONSTRUCTION CONTINUES TO REPAIR 2006

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 BEIRUT 000472 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR NEA/ELA STATE PASS USTR TREASURY FOR MNUGENT AND SBLEIWEISS USDOC FOR 4520/ITA/MAC/ONE NSC FOR ABRAMS/SINGH/YERGER/DEMOPULOS DEPT PASS TO USAID/ME/MEA/MCCLOUD E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ECON EAID EFIN PREL PGOV PARM MNUC LE SUBJECT: LEBANON: RECONSTRUCTION CONTINUES TO REPAIR 2006 HIZBALLAH-ISRAEL WAR DAMAGE SUMMARY -------------- ¶1. (U) The GOL and some Arab donors continue to pay beneficiaries compensation to rebuild houses destroyed or damaged in the July 2006 war, but the GOL needs additional funds to complete the process. The opposition has continuously attacked the GOL regarding disbursement of compensation, and even pro-government political forces and anecdotal evidence point to cases of fraud. In an effort to show transparency, PM Siniora's office established a website and the High Relief Council has referred fraud cases to the courts. End summary. GOL ENTITIES HANDLING POST-JULY 2006 RECONSTRUCTION EFFORTS -------------- ¶2. (U) The High Relief Council (HRC),affiliated with the PM's office, handled the rehabilitation of property damage and compensation payments for death and injuries after the July 2006 war between Hizballah and Israel. The HRC also is handling assistance for the reconstruction of housing units (damaged or destroyed),but offers no compensation for damages incurred by businesses, industries, or the agriculture sector. HRC's consultants, Khatib & Alami Engineering, audit and assess damage to housing units and send the files back to the PM's office. The HRC issues checks but does not give them directly to Lebanese citizens who are beneficiaries, instead funneling them through two politically-connected entities: -- The Council for the South (managed by Speaker Berri's Amal movement) to pay housing assistance to people in the south; and -- The Fund for the Displaced (which caters to Druze leader MP Jumblatt's constituents) to pay housing assistance to people in all other regions affected by the 2006 war, including Dahiya (Beirut' largely Shia southern suburbs). DISBURSEMENTOF HOUSING ASSISTANCE CONTINUES -------------- ¶3. (SBU) Housing assistance is paid in two installments. The HRC is using cash donated mostly by Arab donors and GOL funds to pay for Phase I & II assistance for housing reconstruction. The HRC still has some funds from Arab donors, PM's Recovery & Reconstruction office Analyst Ghassan Tannous told us on April 3. The GOL is paying a total of $40,000 in housing assistance for the reconstruction of each demolished house, regardless of the size of the house. ¶4. (SBU) The Council for the South has paid nearly 90 percent of Phase I housing assistance and will continue to pay out the remaining 10 percent, as well as start payments on Phase II, expected to start this month, Tannous said. Tannous further explained a Review Committee will check homes of people who received a first installment to make sure that it was spent on housing reconstruction so that they are entitled to receive the second installment. ¶5. (SBU) The Fund for the Displaced is still paying Phase I housing compensation and will start paying Phase II, Tannous said. The Fund has asked concerned citizens to come to the Fund's offices in Sanayeh (Beirut) and fill out a specific form for Phase II payment. Similarly, a review Committee will check that the first installment was used for housing reconstruction. BEIRUT SOUTHERN SUBURBS: AN EXCEPTION -------------- ¶6. (SBU) The PM's office has decided to regularize all non-compliant buildings in the Beirut southern suburbs (the area knows as Dahiya) and pay their owners compensation. However, unlike the rest of Lebanon, where the housing assistance has to be spent on housing reconstruction, beneficiaries of housing assistance in Dahiya "are free to do with the money what they want; they can rebuild or sell their share in the building," Tannous told us. It is worth noting that Hizballah has launched its "Waed" (promise) project for the reconstruction of Beirut southern suburbs residences. The project covers 1.2 million square meters; it was launched in May 2007 and is expected to be completed in 18-24 months. BEIRUT 00000472 002 OF 003 ARAB DONORS CONTRIBUTIONS -------------- ¶7. (U) A number of mostly Arab countries and funds have adopted selected villages in the south and pledged to rebuild them. Except for Qatar and Syria, these countries are giving their contribution to the HRC to be spent in the selected villages. These countries are: Saudi Arabia (219 villages),Oman (29 villages),Kuwait (25 villages),Iraq (4 villages),Bahrain (1 village) and Indonesia (2 villages),Tannous said. He told us the HRC is paying housing compensation of $40,000 to beneficiaries and stressed that the PM's office submits to these donor countries quarterly progress reports. He refuted press reports that housing reconstruction was slow, blaming accusations on political interests, although he admitted that it might be slow in some areas. He also noted that the last report sent to Oman showed that beneficiaries have re-built their houses (which were villas) as they were before the July war. ¶8. (SBU) Qatar is paying $40,000 in housing assistance directly to people in four villages (Bint Jbeil, Khyam, Aita Chaab, & Ainata). Qatar has set up a Qatar reconstruction office in Beirut, and this office is contracting and paying directly for the reconstruction of schools, hospitals, and government offices in the selected villages. It also paid for the reconstruction of all places of worship in the south. Tannous said Qatar is not reporting to the GOL or the PM's office what it has completed or amounts spent, but the PM's office learned recently that Qatar spent about $101 million on housing compensation up to January 2008. Qatar is also paying compensation to merchants in Bint Jbeil, according to press reports quoting Qatar's Beirut office. Tannous told us he has been unable to touch base with the Qatar reconstruction office. (Note: We also tried several times, but could never get hold of POC there. End note.) ¶9. (U) Syria is rebuilding damaged houses in two villages (Qoleila & Qana),Tannous told us. IRAN'S CONTRIBUTION -------------- ¶10. (U) Iran has rebuilt some of the demolished bridges in south Lebanon and one in the Biqa and continues rebuilding other bridges in the south. It has also rebuilt some roads. Iran is saying publicly that it is spending on several other sectors, such as educational and religious buildings, medical centers, power sector related projects - but no housing, however this needs to be verified by the GOL, a source at the PM's reconstruction office told us. OPPOSTION ATTACKS GOL ON HOUSING COMPENSATION ISSUES -------------- ¶11. (U) The opposition has continuously attacked the GOL on the housing compensation issue. Accusations include statements that the GOL is slow in disbursing housing compensation donated by Arab countries, or the GOL will not pay the second portion of housing assistance because of lack of funds, or that the GOL is diverting donors' contributions to other sectors. This has lead PM Siniora to say publicly that the GOL respects the wishes of donors on where/what their contribution should be spent. Siniora said the PM's website, www.rebuildlebanon.gov.lb, has details about each recipient and the amount of compensation he/she received. LOYALISTS CRITICAL OF FRAUD AND BUREAUCRACY -------------- ¶12. (SBU) There is talk about fraud, and compensation payments (for housing and for disability) to people who do not qualify. Druze leader and PSP head MP Walid Jumblatt charged recently that there were 1,000 people in north Lebanon registered as having sustained damages, while effectively only 20 people did. We also heard that some Sunnis in Beirut received housing assistance although their houses were not damaged in the July war. The HRC is following up on fraud cases, whether about medical or housing compensation, and brought some cases to court, the press reported. There are also bureaucratic hurdles, as beneficiaries need to submit documentation proving ownership. Many houses in the south were built without legal permits during the Israeli occupation, and some houses in Beirut southern suburbs were built on land owned by the government or private individuals. BEIRUT 00000472 003 OF 003 SISON