JA'JA'S "CHRISTIAN DECISION MOVEMENT":

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BEIRUT 01646

E.O. 12356: DECL: OADR
TAGS: PGOV PINS PREL LE US
SUBJECT: JA'JA'S "CHRISTIAN DECISION MOVEMENT":
RELATIONS WITH THE U.S., MOTIVES, AND OBJECTIVES

REF: BEIRUT 1635


1. CONFIDENTIAL - ENTIRE TEXT.


2. POLOFF MET MARCH 15 WITH LONGTIME CONTACT NAOUM
FARAH, DIRECTOR OF EXTERNAL RELATIONS OF THE LEBANESE
FORCES AND NOW AN ACTIVE PARTICIPANT IN JA'JA'S
"CHRISTIAN DECISION MOVEMENT." FARAH, WHO UNTIL
EARLY MARCH WAS ALSO THE OFFICIAL LF SPOKESMAN, REQUESTED
THE MEETING.

--------------
RELATIONS WITH THE U.S.
--------------

3. FARAH STATED AT THE OUTSET THAT THE LEBANESE FORCES
(WHICH HE CONSIDERS SYNONYMOUS FOR ALL INTENTS AND
PURPOSES WITH JA'JA'S "CHRISTIAN DECISION MOVEMENT")
HAD BEEN "BOTHERED" BY THE USG STATEMENT ON MARCH 13
CHARACTERIZING EVENTS OF THAT DAY IN EAST BEIRUT AS
A "NEGATIVE DEVELOPMENT." HE ALSO EXPRESSED DISMAY
OVER STATEMENTS ORIGINATING IN WASHINGTON THAT AMERICAN
EMBASSY PERSONNEL WERE BEING EVACUATED BECAUSE OF EVENTS
IN EAST BEIRUT. SUCH STATEMENTS, HE SAID, GIVE A FALSE
IMPRESSION OF THE SITUATION ON THE GROUND AND THE
OBJECTIVES OF THE MOVEMENT.


4. WHILE HE SAID THE MOVEMENT FULLY UNDERSTOOD THE
U.S. DECLARATION IN SUPPORT OF "LA LEGALITE," HE
COULD NOT CONSIDER RECENT EVENTS A "NEGATIVE DEVELOPMENT.
TO THE CONTRARY, HE SAID, WHAT IS HAPPENING IS "VERY
HEALTHY FOR THE CHRISTIANS AND FOR THE WEST, STARTING
WITH THE U.S." "WE HOPE," FARAH CONTINUED, "THAT
THE UNITED STATES WILL NOT CONTINUE TO TAKE FROM THE
VERY BEGINNING A HOSTILE POSITION TOWARDS THIS MOVEMENT,
A POSITION WHICH COULD JEOPARDIZE THE FUTURE OF OUR
RECIPROCAL RELATIONS." "WE WANT TO ENSURE," HE SAID,
"THAT OUR RELATIONS ARE EXCELLENT WITH THE U.S., BECAUSE
WE CONSIDER THAT WE ARE FIGHTING THE SAME FIGHT,
CONFRONTING THE SAME ENEMY."


5. POLOFF RESPONDED THAT, AS FARAH WAS ALREADY AWARE
FROM THE DEPARTMENT'S STATEMENT AND FROM CONVERSATIONS
EMBOFFS HAD ALREADY HAD WITH MEMBERS OF THE "CHRISTIAN
DECISION MOVEMENT," THE U.S. CONSIDERED THE EVENTS OF
THIS WEEK A NEGATIVE DEVELOPMENT BECAUSE THEY DIVIDED
THE CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY AND UNDERCUT THE PRESIDENT
PRECISELY WHEN THEY NEEDED TO BE STRONG AND UNITED
TO DEAL WITH THE ISSUE OF POLITICAL REFORMS.

--------------
MOTIVES AND OBJECTIVES
--------------

6. FARAH INTERRUPTED TO "ASSURE THE U.S. OFFICIALLY"
THAT THE MOVEMENT (A) WAS NOT AN ATTEMPTED COUP D'ETAT,
(B) WAS NOT DIRECTED AGAINST THE PRESIDENCY OR THE
PRESIDENT HIMSELF ("WE HAVE NOT ASKED HIM TO RESIGN."),
AND (C) IS AGAINST THE USE OF FORCE AND AGAINST BLOODSHED.
FARAH ADDED THAT THE MOVEMENT HAD CALLED FOR, SINCE
YESTERDAY, MARCH 14R THE REOPENING OF THE DOG RIVER
TUNNEL AND THE BRIDGES WHICH HAD BEEN BLOCKED BY THE
"FOLKS FROM THE METN," I.E., PHALANGE MILITIAMEN LOYAL
TO THE PRESIDENT. FARAH CLAIMED THAT THESE LATTER
FORCES HAD TURNED OVER THESE CHOKE POINTS TO THE LAF
AND THAT WITHIN A FEW HOURS TRAFFIC COULD FLOW FREELY
AGAIN.


7. AS FOR THE MOTIVES UNDERLYING THE "CHRISTIAN DECISION
MOVEMENT," FARAH SAID THAT FOR THE PAST TWO YEARS
PRESIDENT GEMAYEL HAS TRIED TO PLAY SIMULTANEOUSLY TWO
INCOMPATIBLE ROLES: FIRST THAT OF PRESIDENT OF THE
REPUBLIC, I.E., OF ALL LEBANESE REGARDLESS OF THEIR
CONFESSIONAL AFFILIATION, AND SECOND THAT OF LEADER OF
THE CHRISTIANS. THESE TWO ROLES ARE INCOMPATIBLE,
FARAH EXPLAINED, BECAUSE, AS CHIEF OF STATE, GEMAYEL
IS OBLIGED TO MAKE CERTAIN CONCESSIONS THAT HE SHOULD NOT
MAKE AS LEADER OF THE CHRISTIANS.


8. FARAH CITED THE SPECIFIC EXAMPLE OF THE MARCH 9-10
BIKFAYYA TALKS WHERE GEMAYEL "FACED FOUR ENEMIES: KHADDAM
KARAMI, BARRI, AND JUMBLATT," AND WHERE HE MADE CONCESSION
WHICH WERE UNACCEPTABLE FOR HIM TO MAKE AS THE CHRISTIAN
LEADER. THERE SHOULD HAVE BEEN, FARAH SAID, A SEPARATE
CHRISTIAN REPRESENTATIVE PRESENT SO THAT THE PRESIDENT
COULD HAVE PLAYED THE OVERARCHING ROLE OF CHIEF OF STATE.


9. FURTHERMORE, FARAH CLAIMED, GEMAYEL'S PLAYING THESE
TWO INCOMPATIBLE ROLES HAS STYMIED THE DECISION-MAKING
PROCESS WITHIN THE CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY. FOR SEVERAL
MONTHS, HE SAID, NO ONE IN THE CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY HAS
DARED TO SPEAK THEIR MIND.


10. THE OBJECTIVE OF THE "CHRISTIAN DECISION MOVEMENT,"
FARAH STATED, IS TO REMEDY THIS SITUATION BY THE
FORMATION OF A COUNCIL COMPRISING REPRESENTATIVES FROM
ALL LEBANESE CHRISTIAN GROUPS, INCLUDING BOTH POLITICAL
AND RELIGIOUS LEADERS. VARIOUS POLITICAL PARTIES AND THE
LEBANESE FORCES WOULD BE REPRESENTED ON THE COUNCIL.
THE ROLE OF THE COUNCIL WOULD NOT BE MERELY CONSULTATIVE,
FARAH STRESSED, BUT ALSO "DECISIONAL." THE COUNCIL
WOULD FORMULATE CHRISTIAN POLICIES,AND A REPRESENTATIVE
SELECTED BY THE COUNCIL WOULD PARTICIPATE IN NEGOTIATIONS
WITH THE MUSLIMS UNDER THE AUSPICES OF THE CHIEF OF STATE.


11. FARAH THEN SET FORTH THREE STEPS WHICH GEMAYEL MUST
NOT/NOT TAKE: (A) HE MUST NOT ATTEMPT TO USE THE LAF
AGAINST THE MOVEMENT BOTH BECAUSE THE LAF WOULD NOT FOLLOW
HIS ORDERS AND BECAUSE THE LAF WOULD DISINTEGRATE AND
MUCH OF ITS EQUIPMENT WOULD FALL INTO THE HANDS OF THE
LF MILITIA. (FARAH CLAIMED THAT GEMAYEL HAD ACTUALLY
CALLED ON THE ARMY TO INTERVENE EARLY ON MARCH 13 BUT THAT
THE ARMY LEADERSHIP HAD REFUSED.) (B) HE MUST NOT PUSH
THE PHALANGE PARTY TO USE WHAT REMAINS OF ITS METN-BASED
MILITIA AGAINST THE LF BECAUSE THE LF WILL EASILY CRUSH
THEM. AND (C) HE MUST NOT EVEN THINK OF ASKING SYRIAN
FORCES TO INTERVENE, BECAUSE IF ONE SYRIAN SHELL STRIKES
THE CHRISTIAN REGION GEMAYEL WILL LOSE ALL CREDIBILITY AND
THE "CHRISTIAN DECISION MOVEMENT" WILL SIMPLY GAIN SUPPORT


12. AS A FOOTNOTE, FARAH ADDED THAT THE RECONCILIATION
COMMITTEE CHAIRED BY THE MARONITE PATRIARCH HAD ALREADY
MET SEVERAL TIMES WITH JA'JA' AND OTHER FIGURES IN
THE MOVEMENT (INCLUDING FARAH) AND THAT IT WAS CLEAR
THAT THE COMMITTEE FOUND THE MOVEMENT'S MOTIVES TO BE
WELL-FOUNDED AND REASONABLE. RECALLING WHAT POLOFF HAD
SAID (PARA. 5) ABOUT THE NEGATIVE EFFECT OF DIVISIONS
WITHIN THE CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY AT THIS TIME, FARAH SAID
THAT HE AND MANY OTHERS IN THE MOVEMENT HOPED THAT THE
ULTIMATE RESULT WOULD BE POSITIVE, I.E., A MORE UNIFIED
CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY, SURE OF THE DIRECTION IN WHICH IT
IS HEADED, AND SOLIDLY BEHIND THE PRESIDENT. HE CONCLUDED
BY ASKING FOR U.S. "UNDERSTANDING AND PATIENCE."


13. COMMENT. FARAH WENT TO GREAT LENGTHS TO SET FORTH
CLEARLY THE MOTIVES AND OBJECTIVES OF THE "CHRISTIAN
DECISION MOVEMENT." AWARE OF THE TOUGH REPUTATION (TO
SAY THE LEAST) OF THE MOVEMENT'S LEADERS, HE EVIDENTLY
WANTED TO DEMONSTRATE THAT THEY HAD WIDE BACKING WITHIN
THE CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY , THAT THE MOVEMENT WAS PROCEEDING
RATIONALLY AND REASONABLY, AND THAT IT DESERVED U.S. UNDER-
STANDING IF NOT SUPPORT.

BARTHOLOMEW