ESTONIA ON ARAB LEAGUE SUPPORT FOR LEBANON

C O N F I D E N T I A L TALLINN 000174 SIPDIS STATE FOR EUR/NB KATHERIN GARRY STATE FOR EUR/EU JEFFERY GIAQUE STATE FOR MATTHEW IRWIN LEBANON DESK E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/20/2018 TAGS: PREL PGOV LE EU SY EN SUBJECT: ESTONIA ON ARAB LEAGUE SUPPORT FOR LEBANON Classified by: DCM Karen Decker for reasons 1.4 (b) & (d) REF STATE 52061 ¶1. Action Request- please see paragraph (4) ¶2. (C) On May 20, Poloff delivered points on Lebanon in reftel to Juri Kahn, Division Director for Middle Eastern Affairs at the Estonian MFA. Kahn replied that while Estonia has no diplomatic relations and relatively little experience in Lebanon, the GOE agrees with and will do what it can to support the U.S. position. Kahn commented that it appears the Lebanese constitution gives Hezbollah too much bargaining power and suggested that perhaps Lebanon needs to consider changing its Constitution. Kahn questioned the utility of pushing for a compromise given that Hezbollah is one of the parties. ¶3. (C) In the context of this discussion, Kahn raised the possibility of Foreign Minister Paet traveling to Syria or Lebanon in the near future to meet with political leaders and encourage democratic reforms. The MFA recognizes that the USG is looking for greater engagement from the international community and the GOE is interested in increasing its support. The MFA would welcome USG assistance in drafting talking points and a message for FM Paet to convey during a potential visit, Kahn added. ¶4. (C) ACTION REQUEST: Through its work in Georgia, Ukraine, Moldova and Kosovo, the GOE is building excellent credentials for its ability to promote democracy and market reform in the region. Although the GOE only has a minor diplomatic presence in the Middle East (one representative in Egypt) and generally defers to the EU on regional policy issues , it is encouraging that the MFA is looking for ways to increase Estonia's role. Post requests Department guidance on how to respond to this proposal. Phillips