EDUCATION LEADS TO DEMOCRACY, MPS TELL CODEL PRICE

UNCLAS BEIRUT 001249 SIPDIS SENSITIVE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PGOV KDEM EAID PTER OREP LE SUBJECT: EDUCATION LEADS TO DEMOCRACY, MPS TELL CODEL PRICE ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: Lebanese parliamentarians from all sides of the political spectrum told visiting Codel Price November 10 and 11 that they welcomed the United States Congress' support for the Lebanese parliament. They suggested that technical assistance, particularly through a staff resource center, and discussing shared experiences would be the most useful cooperation. Parliamentarians stressed that only a unique Lebanon-specific brand of democracy would succeed in their country, and cited education and eradicating poverty as the best means to build a "culture of democracy" in Lebanon. Civil society representatives echoed similar themes in a November 11 roundtable meeting with the Codel, describing a variety of programs being implemented to engage the Lebanese population. End Summary. ¶2. (SBU) As part of the House Democracy Partnership (HDP) program, Codel Price, accompanied by Ambassador and poloffs, met with Lebanese members of parliament (MPs) from a cross-section of political parties and with civil society groups on November 10 and 11. Codel members were HDP Chairman David Price (D-NC); Rep. David Dreier (R-CA), Ranking Member; and Representatives Lois Capps (D-CA),Keith Ellison (D-MN),Mazie Hirono (D-HI),and Charles Boustany (R-LA). FORTUITOUS TIMING -------------- ¶3. (SBU) Rep. Price told MPs that the United States Congress looked forward to resuming and enhancing its relationship with the Lebanese parliament, which had been postponed since 2007 due to a political vacuum and the absence of a functioning Lebanese parliament. Although Codel Price was unaware upon departure from Washington, DC, that they would arrive the day after a new Lebanese cabinet was named, they welcomed the fortuitous timing. ¶4. (SBU) Rep. Dreier noted that the U.S. House Democracy Partnership sought to help Lebanon build a strong parliament that could serve to "check and balance" the government. The U.S. Congress and the Lebanese parliament had "tremendous" expertise and could both benefit from collaboration, he emphasized. Codel Price noted that Lebanon's democracy would serve as an example to other countries in the region that sought to develop their own unique brand of democracy. PARLIAMENT OPEN TO COORDINATION -------------- ¶5. (SBU) Majority and opposition parliamentarians alike expressed willingness to work with members of Congress to improve the resources and skills of parliament staff and MPs. Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) MP Walid Khoury noted that, as a full-time surgeon and MP, he would benefit from parliamentary resource assistance on budgetary issues. He supported practical collaboration with the U.S. House or Senate because Lebanese parliamentarians have good intentions but lack an understanding of the steps necessary to achieve their goals. FPM MP Alain Aoun agreed that the U.S. Congress could help most through its "know-how" and technical support. Amal MP Anwar Khalil expected that the UN Development Program's (UNDP) collaboration with the Westminster Foundation would soon provide parliamentarians technical support on budget and finance issues, and he welcomed U.S. assistance to expand the program's capabilities to serve all parliamentary committees. Rep. Capps, noting that the U.S. Congress relied on extensive staffs to function well, agreed that a technical resource center would aid Lebanon's parliament. Rep. Hirono assessed that partnership was the best tool to learn about another country. ¶6. (SBU) During a separate meeting between Congressional staffers and parliamentary staff on November 11, Bilal Charara, General Secretary of Foreign Affairs at the Lebanese parliament, welcomed the possibility to renew the parliament's partnership with the U.S. Congress. Charara specifically mentioned adding 250 computers and upgraded software (including databases) for the parliamentary library, providing technical training, and linking the library with others in the region as the assistance priorities of the parliament. While seminars in the U.S. were useful, Charara argued that the money spent on travel expenses and per diem could be better used if parlayed into acquiring needed equipment. HDP staff member John Lis explained that HDP could assist the parliament by providing technical assistance and training in which Congressional members of HDP share their expertise. On the Westminster Foundation project, Lis said perhaps the U.S. Congress could assist with budget and analysis training. In addition, he informed his interlocutors that the HDP would like to organize a visit of U.S. Law Library of Congress staff to Beirut to work with the parliament's librarians. Parliamentary staff expressed enthusiasm for such a program and said they looked forward to having the State University of New York's Center for International Development (SUNY/CID) begin implementation of a parliamentary resource center as soon as possible. PRESERVE IDENTITY OF LEBANESE DEMOCRACY -------------- ¶7. (SBU) Justice and Administration Committee chairman and long-time HDP partner MP Robert Ghanem emphasized that democracy was "a must" in Lebanon. Opposition Tashnaq MP Pakradunian posited, however, that Lebanon's democracy was "unique" and, while MPs sought to learn from the experiences of visiting members of the U.S. Congress, nothing but a "unique" Lebanese "brand" of democracy would succeed in the country. Several attendees assessed that sectarianism had taken a negative toll on Lebanon's democracy, and Amal-aligned MP Anwar Khalil claimed that Parliamentary Speaker Nabih Berri had committed to convening a committee to eliminate religious political divisions, as stipulated in the 1989 Taif Agreement. Rep. Price agreed that "one size" of democracy did "not fit all," but noted that certain core values, such as the importance of an individual voice, were essential to all. Meanwhile, Rep. Ellison urged participants to find ways to do their part in achieving progress on "shared values" and suggested that Lebanese MPs engage with the Lebanese diaspora to promote the needs and objectives of the Lebanese government. EDUCATION A CRUCIAL TOOL -------------- ¶8. (SBU) MPs from all parties focused on the importance of education in strengthening democracy. Ghanem said that Lebanon needed to build a "culture of democracy" among youth through education. U.S. investment in education in Lebanon, particularly through the American University of Beirut, was its most successful effort to advance democracy in the Middle East, Future Movement MP Bassem el-Shab said. He argued that sectarianism had damaged Lebanese democracy and that Lebanon's often-sectarian school system needed reform as well. According to FPM MP Ibrahim Kenaan, forming a "national vision" through education and dialogue was an important step to ensuring stability and preventing outside interference in Lebanon's affairs. Rep. Capps, citing the extensive California education system, agreed that education was critical to bettering society. FIGHT POVERTY TO BUILD DEMOCRACY -------------- ¶9. (SBU) Attendees also noted the importance of economic development in building democracy and fighting terrorism. Khalil called poverty the "worst adversary of any democracy," saying that people must "feed themselves before they can feed a democratic society." The United States could help reduce Lebanon's internal economic disparity, he said, by focusing on rural areas where high rates of illiteracy and poverty caused instability. Lebanese Forces MP Joseph Maalouf said U.S. insight into how to achieve proper, balanced growth on a national level would be helpful. Rep. Dreier noted that economic growth could create a "common bond" among the population -- another tool, he said, to build democracy and fight terrorism. ENGAGING CIVIL SOCIETY -------------- ¶10. (SBU) On November 11 Codel Price met with civil society representatives, who noted that the 90% turnout rate for the parliamentary elections showed that the Lebanese believe they play a role in determining their country's leadership. They assessed that many citizens still do not know what terms like "democracy" and "freedom" mean, however, and the lack of common definition hinders dialogue. Participants also emphasized education as a door to stability and opportunity. Many organizations worked with both youth and women to address disadvantages and trigger a positive ripple benefit in their families. Several people stressed the incremental nature of development, saying that it took time and patience to get government buy-in for projects, but they highlighted the progress their organizations had made despite these barriers. ¶11. (U) Codel Price has cleared this cable. DAUGHTON