LEBANON TRIBUNAL: SAUDI ARABIA WILL DONATE, LOOKS

S E C R E T RIYADH 000154 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/04/2018 TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM KDEM EFIN EINV LE SY SA SUBJECT: LEBANON TRIBUNAL: SAUDI ARABIA WILL DONATE, LOOKS FOR INFORMATION REF: A. STATE10786 ¶B. RIYADH 00141 Classified By: CDA Michael Gfoeller for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (S) Charge d'Affaires Gfoeller met with Prince Dr. Turki bin Mohammed, Undersecretary for Political Affairs at the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on February 4 and presented demarche points per REFTEL A; he also carefully read Secretary Rice's note verbale to the Undersecretary. The Saudis indicated that they will contribute funds to the Special Tribunal for Lebanon. The Prince also presented a course of action to coopt Syrian influence in the region. -------------- Funding the Tribunal -------------- ¶2. (S) Prince Turki said that "We will contribute for sure" to the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, but also requested from Washington information on the size of pledges committed by the GCC states, the European Union, and Japan. -------------- What Lebanon Really Needs -------------- ¶3. (S) Describing the political state of Lebanon as "critical," Prince Turki said that what Lebanon really needs is support on three levels: political, economic, and military. He stated that Saudi Arabia can provide the political support and finance the economic support to the Lebanese government, but that only the West, led by the U.S., can provided adequate military support. Supporting the legitimate Lebanese government will weaken the opposition's strength and appeal, he added. -------------- Syria's Role in the Region -------------- ¶4. (S) Prince Turki said that there are three key requirements to lessening Syria's disruptive influence and its orientation toward Iran. The first is financial support. That, he assured, Saudi Arabia would be able to offer. The second is a soft touch on the Special Tribunal. Prince Torki implied that exhaustive investigation into all ranks of the Syrian government will have negative consequences. The third requirement is enhanced engagement on the Golan Heights. Prince Turki identified this as the last significant outstanding border dispute between Israel and her neighbors, but one that has been largely ignored. Barring these concessions, "Syria will fall further into Iran's embrace," claimed the Prince. Conversely, if Damascus can be wooed away from Tehran, Iranian support for Hizballah will wither and the chances for a peaceful resolution of the Lebanese situation will grow, he asserted. GFOELLER