AMBASSADOR KHALILZAD MEETS WITH NEW UN SPECIAL

C O N F I D E N T I A L USUN NEW YORK 000900 SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/02/2018 TAGS: PREL PGOV PTER UNSC IS LE SY SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR KHALILZAD MEETS WITH NEW UN SPECIAL COORDINATOR FOR LEBANON MICHAEL WILLIAMS Classified By: Ambassador Alejandro D. Wolff for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d ). ¶1. (C) Ambassador Khalilzad, in an October 2 meeting with new Special Coordinator of the Secretary-General for Lebanon Michael Williams, noted the USG's significant concerns with Lebanese border security and continuing arms smuggling and suggested that if the Lebanese security forces are over-stretched, then they should ask for international assistance. Williams concurred that the two Lebanon Independent Border Assessment Team (LIBAT) reports had not shown any progress and that the GOL should seek international assistance. On Ghajar, Khalilzad said the U.S. is pleased that the GOL had accepted UNIFIL's proposal and that the USG had pressed the GOI to accede to the plan but that they had concerns. Williams said Ghajar was not Sheba'a, Israel "should be able to make this concession," and should be "really pressed" on this. Ambassador Khalilzad asked Williams for his thoughts on why Lebanon was not pursuing indirect discussions with Israel, as Syria and even Hizballah have done. Williams responded that the GOL appeared to be trying to "outdo Hizballah" but said he would press Lebanese interlocutors on this issue and wondered if Turkey could be helpful. On the National Dialogue, Khalilzad noted USG interest in seeing it result in some measure of control over Hizballah. Williams said the Dialogue was one of the real gains from Doha and agreed that the long road to Hizballah's disarmament must involve concrete steps and an early step could be removing Hizballah's capacity to start offensive operations. Williams noted that only a few months remain for the Dialogue to make progress before it will close down for the spring elections. ¶2. (C) Williams, who will arrive in Beirut October 12, after a stop in London, said he, not UN U/SYG for Political Affairs Lynn Pascoe, would also visit Damascus and Tel Aviv in the next few weeks to discuss Sheba'a. He said he was considering covering Sheba'a in more depth in the next UNSCR 1701 quarterly report and may suggest a briefing by the UN cartographer to the Security Council. Ambassador Khalilzad queried how that might impact Council dynamics and said such an idea needed to be carefully thought through, to which Williams agreed. Williams, noting that he had just visited Israel two weeks before for a series of farewell calls in his previous capacity as UK Special Representative for the Middle East, said he believes the "political flux in Israel" may last a while. He noted that the Israeli MFA staff continue to be "pretty hard over" on Sheba'a, asking what the GOL would give Israel in return. ¶3. (C) Williams voiced concern about his residential security in Beirut (he will be staying initially at the Intercontinental Hotel Vendome on the Corniche) and the UNSCOL (Office of the UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon) mission's physical security (located in a building with other tenants and an underground garage). He lamented the fact that its new facility will not be ready until June 2009. Khalilzad