(C) UK PREPARING TO DESIGNATE MILITARY WING OF

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 LONDON 001397 NOFORN SIPDIS NEA/ELA FOR IRWIN, EUR/ERA FOR GIAUQUE E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/20/2018 TAGS: PREL PGOV PTER IR SY LE IZ UK SUBJECT: (C) UK PREPARING TO DESIGNATE MILITARY WING OF HIZBALLAH AS A TERRORIST ORGANIZATION REF: A. STATE 52061 ¶B. TSOU-IRWIN EMAILS/TELCONS ¶C. LONDON 1292 Classified By: DCM Richard LeBaron, reasons 1.4 b, d ¶1. (C/NF) Summary. The UK government is preparing to designate the military wing of Hizballah as a terrorist organization in the next two to three weeks, FCO Middle East and North Africa Director (NEA A/S-equivalent) John Jenkins told DCM May 19. The UK recognizes that the USG would like it to proscribe the group in its entirety, but that would require starting the process over again; the UK would also like to keep open the option of engaging with Hizballah in the right circumstances, noting that some members will likely be government ministers at some point, Jenkins said. The FCO is willing to consider a joint UK-U.S. targeted approach to other EU governments to push them to designate Hizballah as a terrorist organization as well, particularly the French, who will assume the EU Presidency July 1. On action at the UN, the UK favors a Security Council Resolution over a Presidential Statement in principle, but believes consensus with the French is the most important factor in New York. Qatari FM Hammad bin Jassam is scheduled to meet with UK interlocutors including PM Gordon Brown in London May 22, and Brown will ask for a readout of the Doha talks, Jenkins said. He offered to have UK interlocutors convey any messages the USG wants raised. End summary. ¶2. (C) HMG is preparing to proscribe (i.e., designate as a terrorist organization) the military wing of Hizballah, FCO Middle East and North Africa Director John Jenkins told DCM May 19 in response to Ref A. (Embassy note: The UK proscribed Hizballah's External Security Organization in ¶2001. Extending proscription to the military wing would not include the political wing. End note.) The Home Secretary makes the formal designation, and the official paperwork will be conveyed to her shortly, with the aim of completing the process in two to three weeks, Jenkins said. Jenkins cautioned that although he believes the proscription will go through, the Home Secretary has the final say. ¶3. (C/NF) The proscription process for the military wing was begun about six months ago, Jenkins said, due not only to Hizballah's activities in Lebanon but because of reports that the group is training Jaysh al-Mahdi elements in the UK sector of southern Iraq. The UK recognizes the USG's desire that it proscribe Hizballah in its entirety, but several problems stand in the way of this, Jenkins said. First, HMG's internal designation process is structured in such a way that adding the political wing now would start the process over from the beginning. Second, given the UK Court of Appeals' May 7 decision overturning the proscription of the Mujahadeen e Khalq (MEK) (Ref B),HMG wants to follow the process to the letter. Any evidence of overt political pressure on the process would make the government more vulnerable to a legal challenge, Jenkins said. He acknowledged that Hizballah does not have the domestic constituency that the MEK does in Britain, but said some public interest groups make a point of challenging such designations. Third, the UK wants to keep open the option of engaging with Hizballah political leaders, although it has not had contact at all with the group since 1995, Jenkins said. ¶4. (C) The FCO is willing to consider a joint approach with the U.S. to those EU governments most directly affected by Hizballah activities in Lebanon to push them to designate Hizballah as a terrorist organization, Jenkins said. He thought France in particular might be a good target, since in his opinion the French are a bit adrift on their Lebanon policy at the moment. Such an approach would need to be carefully targeted, he said. ¶5. (C) On action at the UN, Jenkins said the UK favors a Security Council Resolution over a Presidential Statement in principle once the time is right, but believes consensus with LONDON 00001397 002 OF 002 the French should take precedence over the form of the action. ¶6. (C) Qatari FM Hammad bin Jassam will be in London at the end of the week and is scheduled to meet with UK interlocutors including PM Gordon Brown and FCO Minister Kim Howells on May 22, Jenkins said. The Qatari-hosted talks in Doha will be high on the UK's agenda, Jenkins said. He offered to have UK interlocutors convey any messages the USG wants raised. ¶7. (C) Jenkins is planning a trip to Washington on or about the week of June 2 and would like to discuss how to forget a united policy on Hizballah and Lebanon, looking ahead to the French EU Presidency starting July 1. Visit London's Classified Website: http://www.intelink.sgov.gov/wiki/Portal:Unit ed_Kingdom TUTTLE