LEBANON: PRESIDENT'S TRIP: OPPOSITION CRITICAL OF

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BEIRUT 000082 SIPDIS SIPDIS NSC FOR ABRAMS/SINGH/YERGER E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/17/2018 TAGS: PGOV PREL LE SUBJECT: LEBANON: PRESIDENT'S TRIP: OPPOSITION CRITICAL OF PALESTINIAN COMPENSATION Classified By: DCM William Grant for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). SUMMARY -------------- ¶1. (SBU) The Lebanese opposition's reaction to President Bush's January 10-16 trip to the Middle East was predictable, focusing on U.S. policy toward Israel and Iran, and denouncing alleged U.S. schemes to politically and economically control the region. Commentary on the visit was harsher than the usual vituperation of U.S. Middle East policy, with Hizballah and its Aounist allies leading the pack of critics. The President's remarks on compensation for Palestinian refugees became instant fodder for the attacks, with the opposition accusing the Siniora government and the U.S. of supporting the naturalization of the estimated 400,000 Palestinian refugees in Lebanon. The January 15 car bombing of a U.S. Embassy Beirut vehicle was widely interpreted to be a response to the Bush's presence in the region. End summary. PAYOFF INSTEAD OF RETURN ANGERS OPPOSITION -------------- ¶2. (SBU) With approximately 400,000 Palestinian refugees currently residing in Lebanon, right-of-return is an inflammatory political issue. The opposition (especially Christian oppostion leader Michel Aoun) often accuses the government of PM Siniora, a Sunni, of harboring secret plans to naturalize these refugees (also predominantly Sunni) to increase its support. The President's statement that the refugees should receive financial compensation in lieu of the chance to return to land in what is now Israel provoked angry comment from the opposition, which also mocked the GOL's low-key response to the President's remarks. ¶3. (SBU) Hizballah, from SYG Hassan Nasrallah to minor clerics and MPs, as well as its Aounist political allies, vigorously attacked the idea of financial compensation. Nasrallah, in a televised January 11 speech, dwelled on the "U.S.-Zionist project...and the usurpation of our land in Palestine." Nasrallah exhorted his audience to confront the "U.S.-Zionist plan" by steadfast resistance, sarcastically adding that the Palestinians "should accept the crumbs given to them by the Zionists. The Zionists will choose parts of the territories occupied in 1967 in order to be able to have Jerusalem...and to enhance their pure (Jewish) state, they will throw the crumbs to the Palestinians." ¶4. (SBU) At a January 14 press conference, opposition Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) leader and Hizballah ally Michel Aoun, a Christian, rejected the idea of compensating Palestinians and equated it with resettling them, adding that President Bush cannot commit Palestinians to accept the citizenship of another country and he cannot commit other countries to take in Palestinians. Aoun mocked PM Siniora's response to Bush's remarks, terming it "sad and timid." Siniora's statement did assert that Lebanon is committed to the Palestinians' right of return and rejects their resettlement in Lebanon, while noting the positive in Bush's position, namely the need to end the occupation and the creation of a Palestinian state. Siniora added that the credibility of this position is linked to what is going on on the ground in Palestine and the extent to which the U.S. will pressure Israel to achieve these goals. These are themes that even pro-U.S. politicians in Lebanon routinely sound in public statements. U.S. CONSPIRES TO CONTROL THE REGION -------------- ¶5. (SBU) In a January 15 speech, Nasrallah condemned the bombing of an Embassy vehicle that day, but added that some GOL officials "rushed to employ" such incidents "politically" before conducting investigations, although the government was "unable" to uncover any facts or leads that would explain the many bombings in Lebanon. Nasrallah termed Bush's visit as "historic" because "it aimed to shape the image of the region in the coming phase." He went on to discount the perception that "this man (Bush) is an idiot, stupid, or crazy," and linked the visit to the Bush administration's "alliance" with major oil and arms companies, and the "Zionist-Christian group" all of which have "common interests" concerning the way they deal with the issues related to the Palestinian territories, Iraq, Iran, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, and the Gulf states. BEIRUT 00000082 002 OF 002 ¶6. (SBU) Nasrallah further noted that the U.S. "wants to keep the current (Siniora) government in power or reproduce a similar government following the election of the president that would follow and agree to the entire U.S. plan for the region." In conclusion, Nasrallah alleged that, "The Americans are not concerned about the Muslims and Christians in Lebanon. They are concerned about the strength and supremacy of Israel, oil, and the arms market..." U.S. USES IRAN AS A BUGBEAR -------------- ¶7. (SBU) Comments from Sayyed Mohamed Hussein Fadlallah, a leading Shia religious leader seen as a rival to Hizballah leader Nasrallah, were nonetheless similar to those of Hizballah. Faldallah said during the trip that Bush's attempts to make us afraid of Iran and to depict Iran as a strategic enemy of the Arabs, are failed attempts. He goes on to say that, "Fabricating enemies for the Muslims from within their own environment to market the sales of weapons in the region has been exposed, especially after Arab-Iranian friendship in the heart of the Islamic context has started to lay the foundation for strong relations that go beyond the political issue to embrace the intellectual, cultural, and security aspects." ¶8. (SBU) Commentators from across the political spectrum found Bush's remarks about Iran galling and provocative. Arab nationalist al-Safir commented that "Lebanon has enough problems and does not need this open U.S. incitement." Wrapping all of Bush's themes into one, Al-Safir continued that Bush not only has "incited Arabs against each other...now he is inciting Lebanese against each other, against Syria, and against the Palestinians. He also incited the Gulf Arabs against their neighbors." More moderate papers, such as the English-language Daily Star, also took a dim view of Bush's remarks about Iran, noting that "Bush showed enormous insensitivity to the concerns of the people of this region by using the UAE to deliver his message...Like its Gulf neighbors...the UAE is worried about Iran's rising influence, but also has a vested interest in calming tensions." ¶9. (SBU) Moderate, anti-Syrian al-Nahar newspaper referred to sources that claimed the January 15 attack in Beirut was a response to President Bush's tour and his positions on Iran, Syria, and Hizballah. Likewise pro-Syrian al-Diyar noted that the explosion was a direct message to the Americans. FELTMAN