ISRAELI COOPERATION IMPROVING, SAYS LEBANESE

S E C R E T BEIRUT 001053 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/24/2019 TAGS: PBTS KPKO MARR PREL PGOV LE IS SUBJECT: ISRAELI COOPERATION IMPROVING, SAYS LEBANESE UNIFIL COORDINATOR Classified By: Ambassador Michele J. Sison for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). SUMMARY -------------- ¶1. (S) In recent trilateral meetings between the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF),UNIFIL, and the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF),the Israeli side was more cooperative and a new element of trust between the parties was present, BGen Abdulruhman Shehaitly, GOL Coordinator to UNIFIL told visiting Special Coordinator for Regional Affairs Frederic Hof. Shehaitly complained that Lebanon has no "visible" borders, but he expressed pleasure with the progress achieved on marking the Blue Line. He explained that the GOL considers marking the Blue Line to be equivalent to delineating Lebanon's southern border. Shehaitly claimed that the UNIFIL plan for Israel's withdrawal from Ghajar was based on his idea, although he did not expect progress on either Ghajar or Shebaa Farms until a political decision was reached by both the GOL and the GOI. See paragraph five for additional biographic information. End summary. TRIPARTITE COOPERATION IMPROVING -------------- ¶2. (S) Israeli representatives at the UNIFIL-headed tripartite meetings between the LAF and the IDF have markedly increased their cooperation with the LAF, reported Brigadier General Abdulruhman Shehaitly, LAF Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations and the GOL Coordinator to the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). Shehaitly, who met with visiting Special Coordinator for Regional Affairs Frederic Hof, DCM, and poloff on September 16, acknowledged IDF General Yossi Heymann's participation, in particular. While the two sides still disagreed on several technical issues, he confided, an element of trust exists now that was absent before. "LEBANON HAS NO VISIBLE BORDERS" -------------- ¶3. (C) Shehaitly complained that Lebanon has had no "visible" borders since its independence in 1943. The border with Syria has not been demarcated except for the natural border along the Nahr al-Kabir river in the north. Until relatively recently, none of the 148 land points detailed in the 1949 Armistice Agreement had been demarcated. Through the tripartite process, however, agreement has now been reached on 28% of the points along the Lebanon-Israel frontier, he said. Jointly agreed-upon markers have already been placed at 23 points, while another 18 points have been located and an additional 23 are under discussion. Shehaitly clarified that the 148 points only extend as far east as the town of Wazzani and do not include Shebaa Farms. Although the GOL considers these points the visible delineation of Lebanon's border with Israel, Shehaitly explained, Israel only refers to them as the "Blue Line." Shehaitly, who said he was pushing all sides to determine the remaining points to clarify disagreements and address them, expressed cautious hope that this process could be completed by summer 2010. He confided that he was also urging UNIFIL to delineate the maritime border with Israel with a line of buoys. Israel disagrees on the proposed placement of the buoys, he said, by distances ranging from 200 to 900 meters, which has created problems with fishing boats that strayed across the line. Shehaitly said UNIFIL Commander General Claudio Graziano told him that the line of buoys was outside of the scope of UNIFIL's current mandate, although he offered UNIFIL's assistance with the issue if new instructions were issued by the UN. BORDER DISPUTES REQUIRE POLITICAL DECISIONS -------------- ¶4. (S) Hof reported to Shehaitly that the Israeli foreign ministry was preparing to make a positive recommendation to the Israeli prime minister to accept the UNIFIL plan for Ghajar. Shehaitly responded positively to the news and informed Hof that the UNIFIL plan was based on an idea he had presented to UNIFIL. However, Shehaitly was skeptical that the disputes over Ghajar and Shebaa Farms could be resolved without clear political decisions from both the GOL and the GOI. BIOGRAPHIC NOTE -------------- ¶5. (C) Shehaitly is a senior Shia officer in the LAF who was observing the Muslim fast during the month of Ramadan when we visited him. He informed us that at the time of the U.S. embassy bombing in 1983, he was a lieutenant commanding a company stationed near the U.S. embassy on the Beirut corniche. He claimed that he was one of the first people who arrived after the bombing to provide emergency assistance. Shehaitly reported that he was trained as an intelligence officer. Several family members have connections to the United States, he said, including two brothers. The first, Hassan, is an American citizen, a former sailor in the U.S. Navy, and a current employee or contractor of the U.S. Department of Defense, while another brother resides in Daytona Beach, Florida. Shehaitly's daughter is currently a student at Cornell University. End bio note. ¶6. (U) Special Coordinator Frederic Hof has cleared this cable. SISON