GUIDANCE: UNSC CONSULTATION ON LEBANON (UNSCR

UNCLAS STATE 045217 SIPDIS SENSITIVE USUN FOR SCHEDLBAUER HAGUE FOR MANNING E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL UNSC LE SY IS SUBJECT: GUIDANCE: UNSC CONSULTATION ON LEBANON (UNSCR 1559),MAY 7 ¶1. (U) This is an action message. Please see paragraph 3. ¶2. (U) Mission may draw on the building blocks in paragraph 3 for the May 7 Security Council consultations on the ninth semi-annual report of the Secretary General on the implementation of UNSC resolution 1559 (2004). ¶3. (SBU) Begin Building Blocks: -- We welcome the Secretary General,s ninth and most recent report on Security Council Resolution 1559. Our discussion comes on the heels of an important anniversary ) four years ago, on April 26, the last of Syria,s occupying forces were forced from Lebanon thanks to the Cedar Revolution. It is also one year to the day since a Hizballah-engineered strike erupted into violence and resulted in Hizballah,s takeover of West Beirut*an ugly show of force that only underscores the need to fully implement Resolutions 1559 and 1701. These two anniversaries tell us much about the desire and dedication of the Lebanese people to live in a free, sovereign, and independent state, as well as the dangers posed to these aspirations by the presence of armed militias in that country. -- Today, Lebanon and Syria should be commended for taking significant steps toward the establishment of normal relations. When the Syrian Ambassador to Lebanon arrives at post, the completion of the exchange of ambassadors will be a notable achievement. -- Activating the joint border commission will be another step forward. We hope that Syria names its delegates to this commission in the near future, so that meaningful efforts to demarcate their porous joint border can begin. Demarcation of the border is a crucial component of broader efforts to stem cross-border smuggling and to close off, what the Secretary General calls, the &continuing potential for breaches of the arms embargo.8 These breaches facilitate Hizballah,s rearmament and the armament of Palestinian militias such as the PFLP-GC, which, as noted in the Secretary General,s report, is alleged to have fired rockets at Israel from Lebanon during the Gaza conflict. -- With progress on key areas nearing fruition, it would be tempting to think that the end of the utility of Resolution 1559 is close. This, however, would be a grave mistake. -- While the Secretary General,s report suggests a thaw in diplomatic tensions, as well as an improvement in the Lebanese political and security situation, it also notes &no tangible progress towards the disbanding and disarming of Lebanese and non-Lebanese militias as called for by the Taif agreement and resolution 1559.8 In the words of the Secretary General, &Lebanese and non-Lebanese militias continue to pose a threat to the stability of the country and challenge the need for the Government of Lebanon and the Lebanese Armed Forces to exercise the monopoly on the use of force throughout Lebanon.8 -- Indeed, the admitted actions of Hizballah in Egypt*supporting militants there even as Hizballah leaders exhorted the Egyptian military to defy its political leadership*demonstrate it to be a threat not only to Lebanon, but also to the region at large. We join with the Secretary General in condemning Hizballah,s &unwarranted interference in the domestic affairs of a sovereign Member State.8 -- We believe strongly that the people of Lebanon must be able to choose their own representatives in open and fair elections without the specter of violence, without the intimidation of arms, and free from outside influence. As Secretary Clinton noted recently in Beirut, the Lebanese &have a right to (their) own future.8 -- The United Nations Security Council has made it clear in this resolution, as well as in Resolutions 1680 and 1701, that the only legitimate armed forces in Lebanon are those of the Lebanese government. -- The United States continues working to support Lebanon,s state institutions, including by providing the Lebanese Armed Forces with the training and equipment they need to protect Lebanon and its citizens and implement the resolutions of this Council. -- We join with the Secretary General in calling upon Hizballah to disarm and to transform itself into a solely political party and further call on all other militant groups in Lebanon to likewise disarm. And let me be clear: we see no distinction between the so-called political wings and the military apparatuses of these groups. Nor will we engage with them until they completely disarm, whatever their involvement in the Lebanese government. -- We similarly call for the State-sponsors of these armed groups to cease their support. We are particular disturbed by the presence of PFLP-GC and Fatah al-Intifada militias along the Lebanese-Syrian border and note, as did the Secretary General, that these groups illegally exercise de facto control over sections of the border. -- We note that, even as we begin increased engagement in the region, the United States will not sacrifice Lebanon,s freedom, sovereignty, or independence at the altar of improved U.S. relations with one of Lebanon,s neighbors. -- Simply put, the United States will never sanction any deal at the expense of a free, sovereign, and independent Lebanese state. The United States will never make any deal that sells out Lebanon and the Lebanese people. This includes the functioning of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, which is a critical and non-negotiable part of the process to end impunity for political assassinations in Lebanon. -- Likewise, the United States will continue to call for the full implementation of Resolutions 1559 and 1680 until all directives contained in both resolutions are met and the political independence and sovereignty of Lebanon are guaranteed. End Building Blocks. CLINTON