LEBANON: WITH BEIRUT AIRPORT BLOCKED, NORTHERN

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BEIRUT 000670 SIPDIS DEPT FOR NEA/FO, NEA/ELA, EB/TRA, ALSO FOR A/S SILVERBERG AND PDAS WARLICK, NSC FOR ABRAMS/SINGH/YERGER/GAVITO, NEA/FO:KHARRINGTON, MPOPAL, E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/12/2018 TAGS: EAIR EFIN PTER PINR ASEC UNSC SA IR LE SUBJECT: LEBANON: WITH BEIRUT AIRPORT BLOCKED, NORTHERN AIRPORT CAN BE USED--BUT NEEDS UPGRADES Classified By: Ambassador Michele Sison a.i. for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d ) ¶1. (C) Summary: With the access routes to Beirut International Airport (BIA) blocked by Hizballah barricades and no flights operating since May 7, Minister of Transport Safadi said the northern airport, Kleyate, is operational during daylight hours. The Kleyate airport needs upgrades, such as airfield lighting and an Instrument Landing System, fire and safety equipment and communications. U.S. assistance may be needed (see Para 5). Funding might be made a part of the Paris III donations, since new conditionality is not yet established by the GOL or the International Monetary Fund. The Port of Beirut is operating, although Safadi said this situation might only continue if the opposition remained unaware. Safadi expects that the fighting will move north, to Tripoli and Akkar. End summary. RECENTLY RETURNED THROUGH BIA -------------- ¶2. (C) A relaxed-looking Mohammed Safadi met with Charge, Defense Attache and Econoff on 05/12 at his personal office in Beirut. Safadi currently is responsible for two major ministries: his own, Public Works and Transport, and that of resigned Minister of Energy and Water Fneish. Safadi returned from an energy conference in Athens last Friday, by (his own) private jet. No commercial flights are operating into Beirut International Airport (BIA); access routes to the airport remain blocked by Hizballah barricades. KLEYATE AIRPORT HAS SOME OPERATIONAL LIMITS -------------- ¶3. (C) Safadi explained that he would be issuing a statement later that day regarding the Rene Mouawad Airport, also called Kleyate, in northern Lebanon. The statement will say that the GOL will not open Kleyate for use except in the case of "extreme necessity." This statement, according to Safadi, means that Kleyate can be opened. He said that the airport is operational during daylight hours, and depending on the wind direction, any size airplane can land; taking off is never a problem. In the case of small planes, 70 percent of the time the wind is favorable; 30 percent of the time the wind direction would require the planes to fly over Syria, and therefore is unacceptable. For planes larger than the Gulfstream 5, the wind situation would be about 50-50, but they are assessing the possibilities, and it would require prior approval. Kleyate was used by Middle East Airlines (MEA) for commercial flights during the civil war. KLEYATE NEEDS LIGHTS, ILS -------------- ¶4. (C) To open Kleyate fully would require "certain things," according to Safadi. The critical additions to the airport are airfield lighting, and an Instrument Landing System (ILS.) Safadi stated that the GOL needs the operational capacity at Kleyate, even if it is not used. However, he would like to keep the discussion of Kleyate "below the radar," pointing out that "it started badly" when MP Mohammed Qabbani, a member of the Parliamentary Public Works committee, said that Kleyate was operational, so everyone began to talk about it. Safadi said he does not want it to become a target, because he considers the northern airport -- old and not very well secured -- to be a potential target. MORE UPGRADES NEEDED -------------- ¶5. (C) Because the air traffic control for Kleyate would be provided from Beirut, some upgrades might be required at BIA. The critical upgrade affecting Kleyate would be a radar improvement. This equipment, an addition to the existing radar, would be supplied by Raytheon, and would cost approximately $2.803 million. However, Safadi pointed out that BIA was in need of two more items to make it safe and secure: safety equipment (which includes fire trucks and rescue boats) and a secure communications system for ground personnel. This would also be required for Kleyate to make it a viable international airport. ¶6. (C) Dr. Hamdi Chouk, the Director General of Civil BEIRUT 00000670 002 OF 002 Aviation requested support for these previously from USAID. In a conversation with Chouk immediately after this meeting he confirmed to econoff that he would send the specifications for the upgrades as soon as he is in the office, but pointed out that the GOL has already approved the purchase of the radar, which would serve both BIA and Kleyate, and ICAO is in the process of letting the tender. He believes that USG assistance might move the purchase ahead faster. The cost of the full package of safety equipment would be about $20 million. The commercially-available communications system will cost approximately $3 million. ¶7. (C) A full set of specifications will be available from Chouk on 05/13, and will be forwarded to NEA/ELA Lebanon desk. PORT OF BEIRUT IS OPEN, BUT ONLY IF NO ONE KNOWS -------------- ¶8. (C) Safadi has been more successful in hiding the activity of the Port of Beirut from the opposition. When asked if the port is open, his response was, "If I say it's open it will be closed!" He pointed out that the port activity has decreased, but two hundred containers left today, and ships are still coming and going. He also mentioned that he had received a request to approve a new sea route from Beirut to Famagusta, Cyprus, which he will not approve for political reasons, but he does expect to approve a request tomorrow for a route from Jounieh and Tripoli to the port of Larnaca He also affirmed that ships containing petrol for the electricity plants continue to arrive, and he had opened four letters of credit for ships in the last few days. His estimate is that current supplies will provide electricity for fifteen days, and more ships are en route. FIGHTING WILL MOVE NORTH -------------- ¶9. (C) Safadi said that he is not sure of Saad Hariri's position at this point, but he has heard indirectly that Saad "wants to fight" in the north. Although Safadi expressed a hope that this was not the case, he thinks that "what Hizballah started" will go north, spearheaded by March 8 allies in that region. He called it a "cleansing exercise." Mentioning that he had heard the USS Cole was returning to the region, Safadi had a request: "If you're going to send anything, send the fleet, not just the USS Cole!" He added that he believes that in the end "we will see an amended Taif (Accord)." ¶10. (C) Comment: There might be an opportunity to use uncommitted Paris III money for this purpose. The International Monetary Fund team was in Beirut recently, but so far we have no information about any new conditionalities, from them or the GOL. The IMF debriefing originally scheduled by the IMF was cancelled the last week due to the ongoing crisis. SISON