Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09BEIRUT899
2009-08-10 14:31:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Embassy Beirut
Cable title:
ENCOURAGING CENTRAL GOVERNMENT BUDGET TRANSPARENCY
how-toVZCZCXRO8782 PP RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHDH RUEHKUK RUEHROV DE RUEHLB #0899 2221431 ZNR UUUUU ZZH P 101431Z AUG 09 FM AMEMBASSY BEIRUT TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 5505 INFO RUEHEE/ARAB LEAGUE COLLECTIVE RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 3522 RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHDC RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 4053 RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC RHEHAAA/NSC WASHDC
UNCLAS BEIRUT 000899
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
DEPT FOR NEA/FO, NEA/ELA
ALSO FOR EEB/IFD/OMA BSAUNDERS AND EEB/IFD/ODF RDEMARCELLUS
F FOR RNAPOLI
IO FOR A/S BRIMMER
P FOR DRUSSELL, RRANGASWAMY
DRL/NESA FOR WHITMAN, BARGHOUT
STATE PASS TO USAID ESCOTT
TREASURY FOR SAHERN AND CKNOWLES
COMMERCE FOR CLOUSTOUNAU/TSAMS/NWIEGLER
PARIS FOR JMILLER
USUN FOR WOLFF/GERMAIN/SCHEDLBAUER
NSC FOR SHAPIRO/MCDERMOTT
OVP FOR HMUSTAFA
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAID ECON EFIN PREL LE
SUBJECT: ENCOURAGING CENTRAL GOVERNMENT BUDGET TRANSPARENCY
REF: STATE 81177
UNCLAS BEIRUT 000899
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
DEPT FOR NEA/FO, NEA/ELA
ALSO FOR EEB/IFD/OMA BSAUNDERS AND EEB/IFD/ODF RDEMARCELLUS
F FOR RNAPOLI
IO FOR A/S BRIMMER
P FOR DRUSSELL, RRANGASWAMY
DRL/NESA FOR WHITMAN, BARGHOUT
STATE PASS TO USAID ESCOTT
TREASURY FOR SAHERN AND CKNOWLES
COMMERCE FOR CLOUSTOUNAU/TSAMS/NWIEGLER
PARIS FOR JMILLER
USUN FOR WOLFF/GERMAIN/SCHEDLBAUER
NSC FOR SHAPIRO/MCDERMOTT
OVP FOR HMUSTAFA
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAID ECON EFIN PREL LE
SUBJECT: ENCOURAGING CENTRAL GOVERNMENT BUDGET TRANSPARENCY
REF: STATE 81177
1. (SBU) The Ambassador delivered reftel demarche to
caretaker Finance Minister Mohammad Chatah on August 7.
Chatah responded that budget transparency was one of his
ministry's top priorities, as evidenced by its commitment to
a $4 million World Bank assistance program to improve
Lebanon's budget process. He said he expected the Bank to
fund one or two resident advisors at the ministry to focus
exclusively on the budget and push for reform on the spending
side.
2. (SBU) Nonetheless, Chatah acknowledged that Lebanon's
budget does not include all government spending. Of the $4
billion deficit Lebanon will run in 2009, he said, only $3
billion would be budgetary spending, while the other $1
billion would fund off-budget expenditures, as a result of
legislation passed by parliament authorizing additional
outlays. He stressed, however, that the ministry had worked
hard in recent years to bring more spending into the budget,
and he looked forward to a new IMF/World Bank assessment of
the Lebanese budgetary process, which he hoped would show
improvement from the last report done in 2004.
3. (SBU) Chatah offered to have his staff send the Embassy a
non-paper outlining the state of budget transparency in
Lebanon and recent steps taken to address it. Post will
forward this document to Washington when we receive it.
SISON
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
DEPT FOR NEA/FO, NEA/ELA
ALSO FOR EEB/IFD/OMA BSAUNDERS AND EEB/IFD/ODF RDEMARCELLUS
F FOR RNAPOLI
IO FOR A/S BRIMMER
P FOR DRUSSELL, RRANGASWAMY
DRL/NESA FOR WHITMAN, BARGHOUT
STATE PASS TO USAID ESCOTT
TREASURY FOR SAHERN AND CKNOWLES
COMMERCE FOR CLOUSTOUNAU/TSAMS/NWIEGLER
PARIS FOR JMILLER
USUN FOR WOLFF/GERMAIN/SCHEDLBAUER
NSC FOR SHAPIRO/MCDERMOTT
OVP FOR HMUSTAFA
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAID ECON EFIN PREL LE
SUBJECT: ENCOURAGING CENTRAL GOVERNMENT BUDGET TRANSPARENCY
REF: STATE 81177
1. (SBU) The Ambassador delivered reftel demarche to
caretaker Finance Minister Mohammad Chatah on August 7.
Chatah responded that budget transparency was one of his
ministry's top priorities, as evidenced by its commitment to
a $4 million World Bank assistance program to improve
Lebanon's budget process. He said he expected the Bank to
fund one or two resident advisors at the ministry to focus
exclusively on the budget and push for reform on the spending
side.
2. (SBU) Nonetheless, Chatah acknowledged that Lebanon's
budget does not include all government spending. Of the $4
billion deficit Lebanon will run in 2009, he said, only $3
billion would be budgetary spending, while the other $1
billion would fund off-budget expenditures, as a result of
legislation passed by parliament authorizing additional
outlays. He stressed, however, that the ministry had worked
hard in recent years to bring more spending into the budget,
and he looked forward to a new IMF/World Bank assessment of
the Lebanese budgetary process, which he hoped would show
improvement from the last report done in 2004.
3. (SBU) Chatah offered to have his staff send the Embassy a
non-paper outlining the state of budget transparency in
Lebanon and recent steps taken to address it. Post will
forward this document to Washington when we receive it.
SISON