LEBANON: SIDON LEADERS HOPEFUL WITH NEW PRESIDENT;

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 BEIRUT 000774

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: 05/26/2018
TAGS: PREL PGOV PTER PINR PREF UNSC LE
SUBJECT: LEBANON: SIDON LEADERS HOPEFUL WITH NEW PRESIDENT;
CONCERNED ABOUT PALESTINIAN EXTREMISM

REF: A. BEIRUT 766

B. BEIRUT 733

Classified By: Charge d'Affaires a.i. Michele J. Sison for reasons 1.4
(b) and (d).

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


1. (C) In a May 26 visit to the predominately Sunni, southern
city of Sidon, the Charge heard from independent MP and
philanthropist Bahia Hariri (Rafiq's sister),acting Sunni
Mufti Salim Soussan, and members of the Sidon Chamber of
Commerce. All of the interlocutors expressed hope for a new
era following the Doha agreement and the May 25 election of
President Michel Sleiman (reftels). They all are concerned
about extremism in Lebanon, especially in neighboring Ain
al-Hilweh refugee camp, home to up to 100,000 Palestinians.
They lamented the poor living conditions in the camp,
referring to it as "terrorist breeding ground," and called
for a global solution. End summary.


2. (C) In a May 26 trip to the predominately Sunni city of
Sidon in southern Lebanon, the Charge, accompanied by
EmbOffs, met with independent MP and philanthropist Bahia
Hariri, who is former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri's sister,
Sheikh Salim Soussan, the acting mufti of Sidon and Mohammed
Zaatari, the head of the Sidon Chamber of Commerce and his
associates.

BAHIA HARIRI: ENTERING A
NEW CHAPTER WITH SLEIMAN
--------------


3. (C) Pro-March 14 Sunni independent MP Bahia Hariri (who
was actually elected on Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri's list
in 2005),told the Charge she felt a sense of relief after
voting for President Michel Sleiman on May 25 (Ref A). "We
are in a new era, a new chapter for the region," she said.
Noting that she had listened carefully to Sleiman's election
speech, she called it a "global map for Lebanon." However,
she cautioned, his speech was a "shift forward, but not a
reconciliation." She believed her nephew Saad, whom she
raised with his brother Baha since they were very young,
should become the next prime minister.


4. (C) Bahia expressed her concern that a new electoral law,
based on small districts, would separate people in an
unproductive way. She preferred larger districts, even if
that meant Christians are included in predominately-Muslim
districts.


5. (C) Providing a historical account of Sunni relations with
the other confessions in Lebanon, she spoke of the kinship
the Sunni Lebanese felt with the Sunni Palestinians when they
arrived to Lebanon in 1948. Endorsing the Taif agreement,
she said it played a critical role in establishing equality
among the confessions, adding that Muslims could only partner
with Christians once they felt they were equal. Taif must be
preserved, she maintained.

PALESTINIAN REFUGEES
VULNERABLE TO EXTREMISM
--------------


6. (C) Noting that there are as many as 100,000 Palestinian
refugees living in the Ain al-Hilweh camp, located a few
hundred meters away, she implored the Charge to include the
Palestinian cause as part of a larger regional peace
agreement. "The link between the Palestinian refugees and
fundamentalism is dangerous," she warned. She described the
inside of the camp as divided into factions with no single
leader, adding that she meets regularly with all of the
factions, who have links with other camps as well. The Sidon
Chamber of Commerce members sQd the "inhumane living
conditions makes Ain al-Hilweh a terrorist breeding ground."


7. (C) Bahia said she focuses her philanthropic efforts on
the camps to curb extremism. She noted that her involvement
in the camps has prevented escalation in some situations,
citing recent clashes between the opposition and the Sunni

BEIRUT 00000774 002 OF 003


and Druze from March 14, in which she said the refugees
refrained from participating. During the Nahr al-Barid
fighting the previous summer, Bahia said the Palestinians in
Ain al-Hilweh "were forced to take a decision to support the
Lebanese Armed Forces."


8. (C) Active in executing the Hariri Foundation's charitable
programs, Bahia said she partners with Palestinian civil
society organizations inside the camps to work with the
refugees. She told us about dialogue projects she manages
where she brings together the different factions, including
the youth. Now, she said, her program is preparing for a
youth summer camp for 15-20 year old refugees, based on
Lebanese curriculum and offering activities ranging from art
to reconciliation. She noted she ran a similar camp during
the Nahr al-Barid fighting.

MUFTI OF SIDON CONCERNED
ABOUT MOSQUES IN REFUGEE CAMPS
--------------


9. (C) The Charge met Sunni acting Mufti of Sidon Salim
Soussan at his Dar al Fatwa office in Sidon. Recalling the
recent clashes between the opposition and the majority,
Soussan said that some Hizballah and Amal Movement members
called him for an appointment because they wanted a "green
light" to proceed with their plan. He told us he refused to
meet with them until the fighting had subsided. He commented
that "one party" (Hizballah) used force instead of democracy
and now there is a political imbalance.


10. (C) Agreeing with the Charge that the Doha agreement (Ref
B) must be implemented, Soussan said that it is a crucial
first step to resolving Lebanon's internal strife. He
commented on the importance of the international foreign
ministers' attendance at the May 25 presidential election and
swearing-in ceremony, saying that Lebanon sits on a regional
"earthquake fault" and therefore requires international
fortification. He called for more balance by the U.S. in the
Arab-Israeli conflict.


11. (C) The Mufti expressed his concern that the mosques in
the camps are guided by poorly-trained sheikhs ("All it takes
is three weeks of training and a beard") compared to his
eleven years of training, including six years at Al-Azhar
University in Cairo. While the Mufti offers "moderate
clerics" training, he said that the refugees do not
participate in this training and there is no telling what is
being preached in the mosques.


12. (C) The refugees suffer from inadequate health and
education care, can no longer legally own property, and
consequently have no hope for a future, Soussan explained.
He concluded that all of this together leads to extremism.
During the recent May clashes, Soussan reported that
Palestinian Fatah representatives called him to ask if there
was a role for them. Soussan said he requested that they
stay out of the conflict, to which he reported they agreed.
The Fatah representatives had also called him the day before,
Presidential inauguration day, to seek advice, he said.

SIDON CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
ANTICIPATING AN ECONOMIC BOOM
--------------


13. (C) The Charge also met with Mohammed Zaatari, the head
of the Sidon Chamber of Commerce; Mounir Bissat a vice
president of the Chamber; Mohammed Saleh, another VP; and
member Kassem Khalifeh, a relative of resigned Minister of
Health Mohammed Khalifeh, who said agribusiness is Sidon's
main industry, including banana and sweets exports.


14. (C) The members expressed their support for Sleiman's
acceptance speech, saying that he mentioned every necessary
point in a "balanced" manner. Sleiman will be able to use
his sound judgment to bring the parties together, President
Zaatari anticipated. The extensive debates during the May 25
parliamentary session to elect Sleiman indicate that
democracy is at work in Lebanon, Zaatari assessed.

EXPANDING VOTING

BEIRUT 00000774 003 OF 003


RIGHTS TO THE DIASPORA
--------------


15. (C) Acknowledging the Doha agreement will take time to
implement, Zaatari commended the Arab League for its "first
achievement in years." Rejecting the 1960 electoral law,
Zaatari said the strength of the Boutros draft law is that it
organizes the districts better. He suggested that the
resigned cabinet agree on a new electoral law before a new
government is formed so that it will be free to deal with
other pressing issues, such as the economic situation.


16. (C) VP Bissat favors giving citizenship and nationality
rights to the diaspora because Lebanon can benefit from its
resources, such as tax payments. He agreed that voting
rights should be expanded to these Lebanese, noting that both
Christians and Muslims make up the Diaspora. "The Christian
role is important to the image of Lebanon because the
Christian presence distinguishes our country from the other
Arab countries," Zaatari added.

HOPING FOR MORE USAID ASSISTANCE
--------------


17. (C) Anticipating an economic boom now that a president
has been elected, the Chamber members hope to attract new
investments in Sidon and request USG assistance. In
particular, they said they would benefit from Food and Drug
Administration import standards training They proudly showed
us a USAID-funded production facility, laboratory, and
packaging and storage rooms, which serve as models to Small
and Medium Enterprises (the project was executed through an
ACDI/VOCA partnership).


18. (C) The Charge also met with Sidon Chamber of Commerce
members involved with the USAID-State University of New York
municipalities project as well as the Cooperative Housing
Foundation (CHF) representative partnering with USAID in
fruit production and agro-food production upgrades at Ahlouna
and Moassaat.
SISON