DELIVERY OF DEMARCHE ON LEBANON

C O N F I D E N T I A L WARSAW 000614 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/19/2018 TAGS: PGOV PREL LE PL SUBJECT: DELIVERY OF DEMARCHE ON LEBANON REF: STATE 52061 Classified By: Political Counselor, Mary T. Curtin, reasons 1.4(b) & (d) ¶1. (C) In absence of Ambassador and of senior Middle East officials at the MFA, Political Counselor delivered reftel demarche May 19 to Boguslaw Ochodek, First Counselor in the Africa and Middle East Department. After PolCouns reviewed points urging Poland to make private and public statements, Ochodek said that with the Arab League's Doha talks at a "very delicate" stage Poland does not plan any public statements on the issue at this time. Poland felt it better not to discuss the matters under discussion in public statements until the talks reach a conclusion. In addition, Poland's approach to Lebanon is to work the policy from within the EU, helping to shape EU statements rather than make its own. Ochodek said that Poland has been active in urging the EU to take most of the steps we wanted in its common policy. He noted, however, that the EU has not and probably will not designate Hezbollah a terrorist entity in its entirety. ¶2. (C) Ochodek added that Poland has "insisted" in private talks with Syria and Iran that those countries stop supplying Hezbollah and Hamas with arms and that they implement all UNSCR's. Poland will continue to press those issues with Iran and Syria. ASHE