LEBANON: MAY 8 RUND-UP: BEIRUT REMAINS TENSE

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 04 BEIRUT 000634

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR NEA/FO AND NEA/ELA; ALSO FOR A/S SILVERBERG AND
PDAS WARLICK
NSC FOR ABRAMS/SINGH/YERGER/GAVITO
USUN FOR KHALILZAD/WOLFF/KUMAR/PHEE

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/07/2018
TAGS: PREL PGOV PTER PINR ASEC EAIR SA IR USUN LE
SUBJECT: LEBANON: MAY 8 RUND-UP: BEIRUT REMAINS TENSE

REF: BEIRUT 627
Classified By: CDA Michele J. Sison for reasons 1.4
(b) and (d).

SUMMARY
--------------


1. (C) The situation on the ground in Beirut remains tense.
Beirut International Airport (BIA) has resumed some
operations, halted since demonstrators blocked roads early
May 7, while the main road to BIA and the road to Damascus,
have been closed. Sunni-Shia tension continues to rise and
several important GOL ministry offices are closed due to
Hizballah roadblocks. The Internal Security Force (ISF) is
reporting a number of troubling incidents, including the
possibility that Hizballah members could be pretending to be
ISF officials.


2. (U) Hizballah SYG Hassan Nasrallah, in a May 8 public
speech, defended Hizballah's fiber optics network as part of
the resistance, and threatened to cut the hand of anyone who
tries to disarm Hizballah. He called Prime Minister Fouad
Siniora an "employee of Walid Jumblatt," and said that the
GOL is attempting to turn the airport into a base for the
FBI, CIA, and Israeli Mossad. Future leader Saad Hariri
spoke on Television at 2000, calling for Hizballah SecGen
Nasrallah to defuse the crisis. PM Siniora considered going
on television during the course of the day but ultimately
decided to allow Information Minister Ghazi Aridi and Saad
Hariri to pass the GOL March 14 message. End summary.

CONVERSATION WITH SAAD HARIRI, MOHAMMED CHATAH
-------------- -


3. (C) Charge spoke with Future Movement leader Saad Hariri
at 1945, shortly before he was to appear on television.
Hariri warned that Beirut was "going to explode," with
Hizballah in the streets. "We are at DEFCON 1," said Hariri;
"Hizballah are taking over Lebanon." Charge asked Hariri
whether this would be his message on the air. Hariri replied
that he would urge Nasrallah to calm the crisis. Charge
condemned Hizballah's escalation and acts of violence.
Hariri went on air at 2000, outlining a three point plan for
Nasrallah: restore security, remove the roadblocks, and allow
Beirut to return to normalcy; elect consensus candidate Gen.
Michel Sleiman president; so that the National Dialogue can
progress. According to Prime Minister Siniora's Senior
Advisor, Mohammed Chatah, Siniora had considered going on air
at 1300, before Nasrallah's press conference, but had been
talked out of it by unnamed advisors and Cabinet Ministers.
During a short gathering with fifteen Cabinet Ministers at
1800, the issue of Siniora going on air alongside Hariri was
discussed, but shot down. Instead, Information Minister
Ghazi Aridi went on air to issue a short statement that the
Ministers would stand by for Saad Hariri's message. In
addition, at 2200, March 14 leader Walid Jumblatt appeared on
LBC-TV to discuss the March 14 position on the day's events.
Chatah also reported that Defense Minister Murr has met with
Army Commander Sleiman this evening to confer on LAF public
security strategies.

ROADS TO AIRPORT REMAIN CLOSED
--------------


4. (SBU) During the second day of opposition-led
demonstrations, the main artery road leading to Beirut
International Airport (BIA) remains closed, and the only open
road is the "old road" to the airport. To access the
airport, Colonel Bassem Boutros, deputy to "transferred"
Brigadier General Wafiq Choucair (who is still in his post),
told us passengers must exit their vehicles, cross a barrier
by foot, and walk 500 meters to the airport.

FLIGHTS LANDED YESTERDAY,
BUT STAFFING AN ISSUE
--------------


5. (SBU) On the evening of May 7, three additional Middle
East Airlines (MEA) flights, two from Africa and one from
Kuwait, were able to land, in addition to an Iranian flight
(Ref A). Airport employees were reportedly forced to leave

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their cars at the airport that day and take taxis to return
home. BIA Manager Jean Ltayf said that all of the passengers
who arrived yesterday have left BIA. During the day on May
8, all incoming and outgoing flights were canceled. Boutros
told us seven flights departed during the afternoon to Dubai,
Abu Dhabi, Jeddah, Riyadh, Paris, Cairo, and Amman. Another
flight is expected to depart for Larnica at 2030 local time.
(Note: This will be eight departures of MEA's nine planes.
End note.)


6. (C) MEA Chairman Mohammad Hout told us that MEA decided to
suspend flights from May 7 midnight until noon May 8 because
neither staff nor passengers could reach BIA, and as of this
afternoon, few passengers or crew members had yet arrived.
He noted that the MEA flights that arrived and departed
yesterday had "a very low load." BIA Manager Ltayf stressed,
"BIA is open and operational; tower control and airport
management are operating normally." Hout said resuming
incoming flights would depend on "developments on the
ground," noting in particular, Hizballah SYG Hassan
Nasrallah's speech. He added that BIA's ground-handling
staff were needed, but are exhausted. In addition to the MEA
flights that landed yesterday, Hout reported that Emirati,
Iran Air, Royal Jordanian, and Kuwaiti Jazira also had
incoming flights. (Note: A private plane landed at 1535 at
BIA and evacuated former PM Najib Mikati's son's family. End
note.)

TALKS OF USING NORTHERN
AIRPORT "NONSENSE"
--------------


7. (C) Civil Aviation Director General, Dr. Hamdi Chaouk
told emboffs that MEA wanted to get the planes out. MEA
can't leave the planes non-operational on the ground at BIA
because this translates into lost revenue, Chaouk said. He
added that Acting Minister of Public Works and Transportation
Mohammad Safadi left for London after the May 5 cabinet
session and now he cannot return. Chaouk described talks
about using Kleite Airport in the north as "political talk."
"This is nonsense," he added (Note: Kleite Airport, also
known as Rene Mouawa Airport, which is in Tripoli, was used
during the civil war for commercial flights, but is now a
military airport. End note.)

ACS SECTION RECEIVING
INCREASED CALLS FROM AMCITS
--------------


8. (C) The ACS section at post has received a number of calls
from Amcits regarding their travel plans and how they can
depart the country. ACS chief estimates that around 40 calls
came in today, but only about 12 callers were really
desperate enough to look for alternate means of
transportation. A number of the 12 are looking into the
option of chartering a boat to Cyprus. (Note: The flat rate
for a boat to Cyprus is $12,000 a day round trip, so the 12
individuals in question would have to pay around $1,000 each
in order to leave immediately. End note.)

NASRALLAH CALLED ON THE GO
TO REVERSE ITS DECISION
--------------


9. (U) In a much anticipated speech, Hizballah SYG Hassan
Nasrallah acknowledged the organization's "landline
communications network," calling it an integral part of its
resistance, and upheld Hizballah's right to "defend ourselves
against anybody and we will cut the hand that tries to disarm
Hizballah." He called PM Siniora "an employee of Walid
Jumblatt," and accused the GOL of trying to turn the airport
into a base for the FBI, CIA, and Israeli Mossad. He
asserted that its arms would not be used internally, but only
to defend (the right to carry) arms. His solution for the
current impasse calls upon the GOL to revoke its decisions
regarding the telecommunications network, and the transfer
the head of airport security and for the majority to respond
to Berri's call for a National Dialogue. It is expected that
majority leader Saad Hariri will speak later the same day.
An Embassy EAC was held immediately after Nasrallah's speech.
(SEPTEL)


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SUNNI LEADER SAYS SLEIMAN
WILL NOT CONFRONT HIZBALLAH
--------------


10. (C) Ahmad Mousalli, a leading figure in the Sunni
national dialogue party (pro-opposition) told emboffs he met
with a senior Hizballah official the previous night and
quoted him as saying that Hizballah will not accept anything
less than a full retraction from the government on its
decision to reassign the head of security for BIA, General
Wafiq Choucair, and its condemnation of Hizballah's illegal
telecommunications network. Mousalli added, "If March 14
thinks of opening up the Rene Mouawad airport in North
Lebanon, it would be tantamount to declaring war on
Hizballah." Mousalli also said that Lebanese Armed Forces
(LAF) Commander Michel Sleiman threatened to resign and to
pull the army back to its barracks. Sleiman also refused a
GOL attempt to impose a curfew, added Mousalli. He noted
that Sleiman will not put the army in confrontation with
Hizballah. Mousalli was also critical of Sunni Mufti
Mohammed Rashid Qabbani's address last night and said this
exacerbated the Shia-Sunni tension. "As a religious man,
Qabbani should have called for moderation and consensus, but
instead played on sectarian feelings," he stated.

SUNNI, SHIA CLERGY AGGRESSIVE
--------------


11. (C) In a May 7 public address, Sunni Mufti Qabbani
accused Hizballah of "occupying Beirut and kidnapping it."
Sunni Sheikh Maher Hamoud, from Sidon, countered the Mufti's
May 7 statements by saying that the GOL needs to review its
decisions regarding the airport, arguing that the airport
cameras cannot take pictures from "such a far distance."
Following a meeting of the Higher Islamic Shia Council,
Acting Chairman Abdel Amir Qabalan read a statement that
considered the decisions taken by the GOL regarding Hizballah
as "dangerous decisions tantamount to a grave crime against
Lebanon and its confessions." The statement also said the
only solution to end the unrest was for the GOL to revoke its
decision.

BERRI STILL TALKS DIALOGUE,
BUT NOBODY IS LISTENING
--------------


12. (C) Ali Hamdan, senior advisor to Parliament Speaker
Nabih Berri, said that the Acting Chairman of the Higher Shia
Council, Abdel Amir Qabalan, contacted PM Siniora on May 5
asking him to wait for the investigation of General Choucair
to be concluded before taking a decision to dismiss him.
According to Hamdan, Siniora promised Qabalan he would
proceed in this manner, and everyone was surprised when the
Cabinet decided to transfer him in their May 5 meeting.
Hamdan also said Berri launched his initiative for dialogue,
but the answer from March 14 was negative. He added, "We
sensed that the majority is after our neck and we will not
let them finish us. If they take a positive step we will
meet them with a positive attitude." Berri's dialogue was a
key point in the Nasrallah speech.

IMPOUNDED CARS STOLEN;
UNIFORMS ALTERED TO RESEMBLE ISF
--------------


13. (C) According to Internal Security Forces (ISF) General
Joseph Hajjal, approximately 70 vehicles were stolen at 0300
on May 8 from an ISF impound lot. These were not ISF police
vehicles, but private vehicles that had been previously
impounded. According to Hajjal, Hizballah had manufactured
an unknown amount of uniforms that greatly resembled the ISF
fatigue uniform and were distributing them to Hizballah
members. RSO Beirut has not yet received information or
possible sightings of Hizballah members/supporters wearing
these uniforms.

ISF/LAF IN BEIRUT,
NOT NEAR AIRPORT
--------------


14. (S/NF) ISF Commander General Ashraf Rifi said that ISF
and LAF were deployed throughout Beirut except in "certain

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areas." No ISF or LAF troops are present on the airport
route, around the airport, nor in Hizballah-dominated
southern suburbs. We have received reports that the LAF has
deployed tanks through downtown Beirut in anticipation of
armed crowds in the streets. General Rifi said the ISF was
waiting for Nasrallah's speech, but he did not feel positive
that the speech would lead to an improvement in the situation.

DOWNTOWN: ROADS BLOCKED,
GUNFIRE, AND TENTS FILLING UP
--------------


15. (C) On May 7 Hizballah transported approximately 250
individuals to the tent city near the Grand Serail. The ISF
Operations Center is reporting that the main roads at Nahmeh
and Barjah are blocked by Future Movement supporters. The
Center is also reporting that Chweih Faht area roads are
blocked by Druze and Future Movement supporters. Several
Embassy employees have reported sporadic, low-level
intimidation and mugging-like tactics taking place in West
Beirut, mainly in the Corniche al-Mazra area. Embstaff
report these incidents are occurring between Hizballah and
Hariri supporters. Evening of 05/08 Embstaff living in
downtown Beirut are reporting gunfire.

ROAD TO DAMASCUS
CLOSED IN BEKAA
--------------


16. (C) Press is also reporting that the al-Masnaa road
linking Lebanon with Syria is closed, due to large mounds of
dirt piled onto the road. Protesters were present on the
road, earlier in the day. ISF reported to us that Sunni
militias have established checkpoints along the al-Masnaa
road only allowing certain people to pass through. The ISF
said that several Iranian diplomatic vehicles tried to go
around these checkpoints, but their vehicles were halted by
Future Movement supporters and forced to turn around.

SISON