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
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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
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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
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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