LEBANON: BEIRUT COUNCIL MEMBERS HAVE LOW

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BEIRUT 000731 SIPDIS DEPT FOR NEA/FO, NEA/ELA ALSO FOR IO A/S SILVERBERG AND PDAS WARLICK USUN FOR KHALILZAD/WOLFF/KUMAR/PHEE NSC FOR ABRAMS/SINGH/YERGER/GAVITO E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/19/2018 TAGS: PREL PGOV PTER PINR EAID LE SUBJECT: LEBANON: BEIRUT COUNCIL MEMBERS HAVE LOW EXPECTATIONS FOR DOHA; WANT RESOLUTION ON SHEBAA FARMS REF: A. BEIRUT 718 ¶B. BEIRUT 724 Classified By: Charge d'Affaires a.i. Michele J. Sison for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). SUMMARY -------------- ¶1. (C) In a May 19 meeting with the Mayor of Beirut and 16 of the city's Municipal Council members, the Charge listened to the concerns of the councillors and their constituents. Several of them appealed for greater U.S. support, and called for a resolution of the Shebaa Farms issue. Many said they felt abandoned during the previous two weeks' escalation of violence, and are annoyed at being the "playground" for their neighbors. An Armenian Municipal Council member said his community feels "used" by the political parties, which court them only for their votes, adding that the Armenians should be able to choose their representatives for themselves. ¶2. (C) The Mayor and many of the Council members were highly appreciative of the USAID-funded State University of New York municipalities program. They said the program has improved good governance, fought corruption, increased tax collections, and streamlined administrative services. They hope the program will continue to benefit Beirut. End summary. ¶3. (C) The Charge, accompanied by DATT and EmbOffs, met with the Mayor of Beirut Abed Munim Ariss and 16 members of the 24-member Beirut City Council on May 19. Noting that the members present represented seven different religions, the municipality councillors shared with the Charge their constituents' concerns and their appreciation for U.S. assistance. LOW EXPECTATIONS FOR DOHA DIALOGUE -------------- ¶4. (C) Before adjourning to the larger Council meeting, Mayor Ariss expressed his low expectations for the ongoing National Dialogue discussions in Doha (Ref A),saying, "It will be an achievement if a consensus candidate is elected after Doha." He continued, "The opposition has to budge, even a fraction of a step, because what it (Hizballah) did was unacceptable to the Shia community, the Lebanese, the Arab League, and the international community." HOPES SUNY MUNICIPALITY PROJECT WILL CONTINUE �A; -------------- ¶5. (C) Mayor Ariss told the Charge that he appreciated the USAID's assistance in funding the State University of New York (SUNY) municipalities project. Reporting that his city Beirut is benefiting from better governance, increased tax collection, and streamlined administrative services, he expressed his gratitude for the U.S.'s role. He added that much work remains to be done and he hopes the project will continue. ¶6. (C) Ariss stressed tat the municipality level is the "cornerstone fordemocracy, especially because it works at the comunity level, directly impacting large numbers of people." When meeting with the larger group of 16 members, we heard multiple expressions of gratitude for this program, with Sunni journalist and Council member Roula Ajouz highlighting its success at combating corruption in Beirut. U.S. IS RESPONSIBLE FOR HELPING LEBANON -------------- ¶7. (C) Tawfik Kfuri, the Vice President of Beirut City Council, rejected the last two weeks' escalation of tensions and appealed to the Charge for greater U.S. support. "As the sole power responsible for 'world order,' the U.S. is responsible for what is happening in Lebanon. We are part of the world order and we hope the U.S. will give us the BEIRUT 00000731 002 OF 002 opportunity to thrive as part of this order," Kfuri remarked. Several other Council members echoed Kfuri's appeal. ¶8. (C) Sami Rizk, a Catholic Council member, asked whether the U.S. presidential elections would impact Lebanon, to which the Charge responded that Lebanon enjoys bipartisan support in Congress and will continue to be supported by the next U.S. administration. ¶9. (C) Wearing his businessman's hat, Ralph Eid, an Orthodox Council member, told us he had signed a petition for civil peaceful resistance and Hizballah disarmament (Ref B) the previous night. He explained that he signed it because while he does not want war. Eid believes that the Lebanese are left with "no immunity; we feel we are alone. We are a small, developing country being harassed while others are sitting idle." George Tiyan, a Maronite Council member, added that the Lebanese are annoyed for being the "playground" for their neighbors. RESOLVE SHEBAA! -------------- ¶10. (C) Selim Saad, another Orthodox Council member, inquired, "Why isn't Shebaa Farms free, whether it belongs to Syria or Lebanon?" He stated emphatically that resolving the issue of Shebaa would eliminate the reason for Hizballah's existence. He added that he is irritated by what he sees as interventions from "all four corners of the world," and that these interventions seem to be making the situation worse. ¶11. (C) The youngest member of the Council, Rami Halwani (a Sunni),agreed that Shebaa must be resolved, adding that there are no more excuses to prolong the issue. He said he felt disappointed, especially after Rafiq Hariri's assassination in 2005 when the U.S. had taken an aggressive stance against Syria, to see the U.S. pause when reacting to Syria. He wondered whether the U.S. is making a deal with Syria, which the Charge refuted. Halwani later suggested that Beirut participate in a sister city program with Washington D.C. ¶12. (C) Ajouz, the Sunni journalist and Councilwoman, said she believes Shebaa can be easily resolved and must be resolved, saying, "If we don't have Shebaa, how can we believe in the sincerity of the U.S.?" She asked about the poor families in Lebanese, saying that they don't want to hear about democracy, they want food to eat. She suggested that the U.S. consider offering alternatives to these poor families so they don't support Hizballah. "Instead of having another Paris donors' conference, how about a California conference on Lebanon?" she proposed. Charge outlined the USG's ongoing assistance programs. ARMENIANS WANT TO DECIDE FOR THEMSELVES -------------- ¶13. (C) Finally, Abraham Matossian commented that, as an Armenian, he believes his community is being taken hostage by various parties, which want the Armenian votes for their benefit. "Let the Armenians decide for themselves," he implored. SISON