LEBANON: INTERIOR MINISTER BAROUD AND A/S JOHNSON

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BEIRUT 000768 SIPDIS DEPT FOR NEA/FO, NEA/ELA ALSO FOR IO A/S BRIMMER INL FOR A/S JOHNSON P FOR DRUSSELL, RRANGASWAMY PARIS FOR JMILLER USUN FOR WOLFF/GERMAIN/SCHEDLBAUER NSC FOR SHAPIRO, MCDERMOTT DOD/OSD FOR FLOURNOY/KAHL/DALTON DRL/NESA FOR WHITMAN OVP FOR HMUSTAFA E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/09/2019 TAGS: PGOV PBTS PTER SNAR SMIG KCOR LE SY SUBJECT: LEBANON: INTERIOR MINISTER BAROUD AND A/S JOHNSON DISCUSS COUNTERNARCOTICS, BORDER SECURITY, AND BAROUD'S PROSPECTS TO REMAIN AS MINISTER Classified By: Ambassador Michele J. Sison for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). SUMMARY -------------- ¶1. (C) In a July 2 meeting with International Narcotics and Law Enforcement (INL) Assistant Secretary David Johnson, caretaker Interior Minister Ziad Baroud believed that technical preparations for securing Lebanon's border with Syria were moving forward, but that real security would require clear political commitment and engagement with all stakeholders, including the Palestinians in the refugee camps on the border and the Syrians. He stated that he and his staff had been working on a plan for the formation of a Directorate for Counternarcotics within the Ministry to coordinate anti-drug efforts across GOL police agencies, including the Judicial Police. He said he had credible information that unnamed political forces were working to undermine his credibility and prevent his reappointment in the new cabinet. End summary. BORDER SECURITY -------------- ¶2. (SBU) INL A/S David Johnson, accompanied by the Ambassador, INL Program Director, and Pol/EconOff, called on caretaker Interior Minister Ziad Baroud at his ministry office in Hamra July 2. Baroud noted that GOL implementation of UNSCR 1701 on Lebanon's border with Syria was moving forward on a technical level, though he acknowledged that there was much left to do. Even with technical implementation of 1701, said Baroud, truly secure borders will require strong cooperation among the four Lebanese entities involved with border security (the ISF, the Lebanese Armed Forces, Surete Generale, and Customs),as well as cooperation from the Syrians and from the Palestinians in the refugee camps straddling the border, something which will require political engagement. He pointed out the social and economic implications of bordr protection, as many Syrians and Lebanese live nd work on both sides of the border, crossing it several times daily, and would require special accommodation. 
 ¶3. (C) Highlighting that significant donor assistance coupled with hard work from the four border agencies had achieved some progress, Baroud believed the time had come for political follow-up to take the process further. He said the new cabinet should express a clear commitment to implementation of 1701 on the entire border with Syria, and the GOL should begin discussions with the relevant stakeholders. In practical terms, he added, while the previous cabinet had passed a border security strategy, it had not indicated what kind of border force it wanted, either a dedicated agency charged with border protection, or a unit comprised of representatives from the current four security agencies. Baroud stressed the importance of donor engagement to push the GOL forward, through setting a timeframe for action and demanding a plan to move forward. GOL COORDINATION ON COUNTERNARCOTICS -------------- ¶4. (SBU) Baroud told A/S Johnson that the parliament had passed a law in 1998 calling for the creation of a Counternarcotics Directorate within the Ministry of Interior, but that the idea ran into opposition, because some feared the new directorate would tread on the turf of the Judicial Police, operating under the Internal Security Forces. Baroud said he and his staff were working on a way to revive the directorate, while ensuring that the equities of other MOI agencies were taken into account. He saw the new entity in a coordinating role, bringing together a group of experts to BEIRUT 00000768 002 OF 002 work across the Lebanese government on anti-drug policy. He said the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) is helping to draft a strategic framework for the new directorate, and once it is finished, he would share it with the USG. Because it was starting from scratch, the directorate would need significant assistance in terms of training and equipment, stressed Baroud, and he hoped the DEA and other USG agencies would assist. He also pointed out that he was working in conjunction with civil society to set up a drug treatment center in an abandoned hospital outside of Beirut, to address some of the social implications of narcotics use. POLITICAL BIGWIGS CONSPIRE AGAINST BAROUD? -------------- ¶5. (C) Pointing to a series of negative pres stories about him in recent days, Baroud said h had credible information that various political ctors had hired a media consultant to discredit him, to prevent his participation in the new government. He noted that the Interior Ministry is a highly desirable ministry for many politicians, and the Lebanese political class was not particularly happy having a civil society activist in the role. He believed the old style political leadership was not interested in providing security and transparency to the people, rather he said they prefer to see someone from a "political dynasty" in the powerful ministry. The dispirited Baroud stressed that he had never asked for his position, and could happily return to his old job and his family, but he was disappointed. "I have never in my career been against anyone in the political system. Now I am," he said bitterly. COMMENT -------------- ¶6. (C) While Baroud refrained from revealing the identities of those attempting to taint his name and keep him out of the next cabinet, we can imagine a variety of figures from both March 14 and March 8 who might undertake such a campaign. The Interior Ministry has traditionally been a strong power base for several of Lebanon's dynastic families, as well as an excellent vehicle for patronage and corruption. End comment. ¶7. (U) A/S Johnson has cleared this cable. SISON