GOL ANNOUNCES SECURITY PLAN FOR BEIRUT AIRPORT,

C O N F I D E N T I A L BEIRUT 04000 E.O. 12356: DECL: OADR TAGS: PTER EAIR LE SUBJECT: GOL ANNOUNCES SECURITY PLAN FOR BEIRUT AIRPORT, AND MEASURES AGAINST U.S. EFFORTS TO SHUT DOWN BIA ¶1. (U) AMIDST MUCH FANFARE, LEBANESE AUTHORITIES HAVE SET OUT THE FIRST STEPS OF WHAT IS ULTIMATELY INTENDED TO BE A NEW SECURITY PLAN FOR BEIRUT AIRPORT. THE PLAN WAS REPORTEDLY DRAWN UP AT A MEETING HELD AT THE AIRPORT ON JULY 3 WHICH WAS ATTENDED BY AIRPORT SECURITY OFFICIALS AND MILITIA REPRESENTATIVES, AND IS THEORETICALLY TO BE IMPLEMENTED WITHIN THE NEXT 48 HOURS. ¶2. (U) IN A SEPARATE BUT RELATED DEVELOPMENT, PRESIDENT GEMAYEL, AT A JULY 4 MEETING AT THE PRESIDENTIAL PALACE ATTENDED BY A WHO'S WHO OF THE LEBANESE MILITARY, INTELLIGENCE, SECURITY, CUSTOMS, AND AVIATION SECTORS (AS WELL AS THE SECRETARY GENERAL OF THE FOREIGN MINISTRY), INSTRUCTED THE PARTICIPANTS TO DRAW UP A SIX- PRONGED CAMPAIGN TO COUNTER THE U.S. MOVES TO SHUT DOWN THE AIRPORT. ¶3. (U) UNDER THE SECURITY PLAN, ARMED MILITIAMEN WOULD BE BARRED FROM THE AIRPORT, ALL UNAUTHORIZED ENTRANCES TO THE TWO RUNWAYS WOULD BE CLOSED OFF, AND CARS WOULD NOT BE ALLOWED TO APPROACH THE MAIN TERMINAL BUILDING. BEIRUT TELEVISION THURSDAY EVENING SHOWED FOOTAGE OF DIRT BERMS BEING CON- STRUCTED TO BLOCK TWO DIRT ROADS LEADING TO THE RUNWAYS, AND MEMBERS OF THE LAF SIXTH BRIGADE RIGOROUSLY SEARCHING PASSENGERS BOARDING MEA FLIGHTS AT THE AIRPORT. THE PRESS QUOTES AIRPORT SECURITY PERSONNEL AS SAYING THAT THE PLAN WILL BE OBSERVED BY ALL PARTIES DUE TO A HIGH LEVEL "POLITICAL DECISION." ¶4. (U) CONTROVERSY OVER THE SECURITY PLAN HAS ALREADY BROKEN OUT. GEN. YASSIN SWAYD, THE HEAD OF THE AIRPORT SECURITY APPARATUS, WHO SUBMITTED HIS RESIGNATION SEVERAL MONTHS AGO TO PROTEST THE CHAOS AT THE AIRPORT, ANNOUNCED THURSDAY THAT HE WILL NOT RETURN TO HIS JOB. (THE GOL HAS NOT ACCEPTED HIS RESIGNATION.) SWAYD, WHO ATTENDED THE THURSDAY MEETING AT BA'ABDA, PROTESTED THAT IN SPITE OF PRESS REPORTS THAT MEMBERS OF THE AIRPORT'S SECURITY APPARATUS ATTENDED THE WEDNESDAY NIGHT MEETING AT WHICH THE SECURITY PLAN WAS DRAWN UP, THIS WAS NOT THE CASE. MOREOVER, HE SAID, "THE SITUATION AT THE AIRPORT WILL REMAIN AS IT IS UNTIL THE LEGITIMATE GOVERNMENT FORCES TAKE REAL CONTROL OF THE AIRPORT." ¶5. (U) THE SIX-PRONGED PLAN ORDERED BY THE PRESIDENT TO COUNTER THE U.S. MEASURES INVOLVES A SERIES OF "LOCAL, ARAB, AND INTERNATIONAL MOVES TO EXPLAIN LEBANON'S POSITION, AND THE MEASURES THAT LEBANON MIGHT TAKE TO PROTECT ITS RIGHTS AND TO PREVENT THE DAMAGE THAT MIGHT BE CAUSED TO ITS ECONOMY, NATIONAL INSTITUTIONS, AND INTERNATIONAL REPUTATION." THE PLAN WOULD INVOLVE A DIPLOMATIC OFFENSIVE, WHILE TASK FORCES HAVE BEEN CREATED IN THE AREAS OF DIPLOMACY, POLITICS, SECURITY, INFORMATION, CIVIL AVIATION, AND "ELECTRONIC FACILITIES." A MILITARY SECURITY COMMITTEE, HEADED BY ARMY COMMANDER GEN. 'AWN, WAS CHARGED WITH DRAFTING A SECURITY PLAN (APPARENTLY SEPARATE FROM THAT ALREADY DRAWN UP) TO CONTROL THE SITUATION INSIDE AND AROUND THE AIRPORT. ARMY CHIEF OF STAFF GEN. MAHMUD TAY ABU DARGHAM WILL CHAIR A COMMITTEE "TO ENSURE SECURITY BASED ON A POLITICAL AGREEMENT," MFA SYG TURK WILL HEAD THE COMMITTEE ON A DIPLOMATIC OFFENSIVE. THE SIX TASK FORCES ARE SCHEDULED TO MEET AGAIN ON TUESDAY, JULY 16. ¶6. (C) COMMENT: THE JADED LEBANESE HAVE LONG BECOME ACCUSTOMED TO HAVING SECURITY CONCERNS ADDRESSED BY YET ANOTHER "SECURITY PLAN." THE GOL HAS OUTDONE ITSELF IN SPADES THIS TIME, WITH THE HAPLESS GEN. DARGHAM HAVING DRAWN THE UNENVIABLE TASK OF RESOLVING THE KEY PROBLEM OF ENSURING SECURITY BASED ON A POLITICAL AGREEMENT--A GOAL WHICH HAS ELUDED THE LEBANESE FOR THE PAST TEN YEARS OF CIVIL WAR. BARTHOLOMEW