CLIMATE CHANGE NEXT STEPS: LEBANON WILL LOOK TO

C O N F I D E N T I A L BEIRUT 000093 SIPDIS STATE FOR DNELSON, RKASTENBERG, KLARSEN E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/29/2020 TAGS: KGHG SENV ENRG LE SUBJECT: CLIMATE CHANGE NEXT STEPS: LEBANON WILL LOOK TO ARAB LEAGUE COMMON POSITION REF: STATE 3079 Classified By: Ambassador Michele J. Sison for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (SBU) Ambassador delivered reftel demarche to Environment Minister Mohammed Rahhal on January 28. Rahhal explained that the ministry was reviewing the language of the agreement and collaborating with other Arab League member countries to find a unified position. He expected that in the "coming two days" the GOL would announce its position. The Ambassador reiterated that GOL association with the Copenhagen Climate Change Agreement by January 31 would be a symbolic step forward and provided Rahhal with demarche points that described the requisite steps for association. ¶2. (C) Speaking about Lebanon's participation in the Copenhagen conference at an "Energy for the Future" event later that same day, Rahhal did not mention GOL association to the Copenhagen Agreement, citing only his hope that the international community would find an agreement on climate change by the December 2010 16th Conference of the Parties (COP) meeting in Mexico City. Local environmental activist IndyAct head Wael Hmaidan explained to econoff January 26 that the ministry of environment technical team had advised Rahhal that more time was necessary to examine what obligations Lebanon would assume by associating with the Copenhagen Agreement. Despite international lobbying efforts to encourage association by January 31, Hmaidan said, IndyAct had also advised the ministry that legal experts required more time to assess the Copenhagen text. Hmaidan reported that Japan and China had lobbied emphatically for Lebanon to associate with the agreement by January 31. SISON