LEBANON: SHIA AND SUNNI MUFTIS WITH AA/S FELTMAN

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BEIRUT 000277 SIPDIS DEPT FOR NEA/FO, NEA/ELA ALSO FOR A A/S WARLICK P FOR DRUSSELL, RRANGASWAMY USUN FOR WOLFF/GERMAIN/SCHEDLBAUER NSC FOR MCDERMOTT, SHAPIRO E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/08/2019 TAGS: PREL PGOV PTER LE SY IS IR SUBJECT: LEBANON: SHIA AND SUNNI MUFTIS WITH AA/S FELTMAN CALL FOR RESOLUTION TO ARAB-ISRAELI CONFLICT AS THE TOP PRIORITY Classified By: Ambassador Michele J. Sison for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). SUMMARY -------------- ¶1. (C) In separate meetings March 8, Lebanese Shia Mufti and head of the Higher Shia Council Sheikh Abdel-Amir Qabalan and Sunni Grand Mufti Sheikh Mohammad Rashid Qabbani told visiting Near Eastern Affairs Acting Assistant Secretary Jeffrey Feltman, NSC Senior Director for the Middle East and North Africa Daniel Shapiro, and the Ambassador that solving the Arab-Israeli conflict should be the Obama's administration top priority. Both clerics welcomed U.S. statements of support for Lebanon's independence and sovereignty, but split along confessional lines when discussing their support for Iran. Acting A/S Feltman reaffirmed to the clerics U.S. commitment to achieving a two-state solution and urged the Lebanese people to decide their political fate for themselves in the upcoming June 7 parliamentary elections. End summary. ¶2. (SBU) One day after meetings with top Syrian officials in Damascus, Acting A/S Feltman and NSC Senior Director Shapiro returned to Beirut on March 8 to continue meetings with top Lebanese religious and political leaders. Sheikh Qabalan received the visitors at the Higher Shia Council headquarters building in Dahiye (Beirut's southern suburbs, dominated by Hizballah),while Mufti Qabbani received the guests at his Dar al Fatwa headquarters in west Beirut. Acting A/S Feltman, NSC Senior Director Shapiro, and the Ambassador were accompanied by visiting NEA Staff Assistant, Poloff, and senior Political LES. ARAB-ISRAELI CONFLICT -------------- ¶3. (C) Both Qabalan and Qabbani extended congratulations to President Obama and believed there was a "will of change" in the U.S. The clerics encouraged the new U.S. administration to make solving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict a top priority. Qabalan said it was his hope that there would be peace and security for all people in the region, adding that he was against war and terrorism. Acting A/S Feltman reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to achieving a two-state solution. He continued that the new administration also 
sought a comprehensive Arab-Israeli peace, and to that end, President Obama and Secretary Clinton planned to use diplomacy and engagement as tools of "sustained and principled dialogue." The clerics should feel assured that the whole Middle East region was important to U.S. foreign policy, as evidenced by the President's calls to Arab leaders on his first day in office, and subsequently, the naming of Middle East Special Envoy George Mitchell on his second full day in office, Acting A/S Feltman said. IRAN -------------- ¶4. (C) Acting A/S Feltman told both religious leaders that the U.S. remained committed to Lebanon's independence and sovereignty, free from interference by external regional actors, such as Syria and Iran. He continued that the fate of Lebanon should be decided by the Lebanese. Qabalan, spiritually closer to Iran's brand of Shia Islam, agreed, but countered that Iran was not against the U.S. He encouraged the U.S. to open a new chapter in its relationship with Iran without making it too difficult. On the contrary, Sunni Mufti Qabbani believed that Iran was becoming a worldwide problem and was working hard to strengthen its Shia base in Bahrain, Qatar, and also Egypt. If left unchecked, he said, Iranian expansion would be to the detriment of the region's Sunni Muslims. He acknowledged that even in Lebanon, there is some evidence that poor Sunni families are beginning to convert to Shia Islam lured by the financial incentives offered by Hizballah, who then become indebted to the organization's -- and by extension Iran's -- political objectives. BEIRUT 00000277 002.2 OF 002 OUTLOOK FOR LEBANON'S JUNE 7 ELECTIONS -------------- ¶5. (C) Mufti Qabbani said that the Sunni religious hierarchy firmly sided with the majority March 14 coalition because it supported both Christians and Muslims. He worried that if Hizballah's March 8 alliance was to gain more seats in parliament or achieve a majority in the elections, this outcome would be dangerous for Lebanon and the rest of the Arab world. Voter turnout would be important to determine the electoral outcome, Qabbani assessed. If violence or intimidation tactics were used, he expected fewer March 14 supporters would actually vote, which would give the advantage to the current opposition forces of Hizballah and Christian leader Michel Aoun. Acting A/S Feltman noted that this was another reason why international observers advised the importance of conducting the elections on a single day. ¶6. (C) Sheikh Qabalan was optimistic about the current pre-electoral atmosphere in Lebanon. He said that the situation in predominantly Shia south Lebanon was "very good" and he did not expect violence. People in the south, however, were experiencing unprecedented water shortages. This, he said, could lead to greater concerns, and potentially violence, in the future and requested U.S. assistance to build dams and provide other humanitarian projects. The Ambassador informed Qabalan of USAID's current projects with the Litani River water authority and said she would discuss his project ideas with the USAID Mission Director. ¶7. (U) NEA Acting Assistant Secretary Jeffrey D. Feltman and NSC Senior Director for the Middle East and North Africa Daniel Shapiro have cleared this message. SISON