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PP RUEHAG RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHKUK RUEHROV
DE RUEHLB #1270/01 2460925
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 020925Z SEP 08
FM AMEMBASSY BEIRUT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 2876
INFO RUEHEE/ARAB LEAGUE COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHGB/AMEMBASSY BAGHDAD PRIORITY 0093
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC PRIORITY
RHEHNSC/WHITE HOUSE WASHDC PRIORITY
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 2800
RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO PRIORITY 3032
RHMFISS/USCENTCOM SPECIAL HANDLING MACDILL AFB FL PRIORITY
RHEHAAA/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY
RHMFISS/HQ USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE PRIORITY

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 BEIRUT 001270 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR NEA/FO, NEA/ELA 
ALSO FOR IO ACTING A/S HOOK, PDAS WARLICK 
USUN FOR KHALILZAD/WOLFF/SCHEDLBAUER 
NSC FOR ABRAMS/YERGER/MCDERMOTT 
DOD/OSD A/S LONG 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/28/2018 
TAGS: PREL PGOV PTER PINR UNSC MARR IS LE QA
SUBJECT: LEBANON: NEA DAS HALE MEETS SPEAKER BERRI 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Michele J. Sison for reasons 1.4 
(b) and (d). 
 
SUMMARY 
------- 
 
¶1.  (C) In an August 28 meeting with Parliament Speaker Nabih 
Berri, NEA DAS David Hale reiterated the USG's continued 
support for Lebanon.  Berri thanked DAS Hale for USG 
assistance to the Lebanese Armed Forces and expressed his 
concern over the recent violence in Tripoli, blaming Al-Qaeda 
and foreign fighter elements.  Berri added that parliament 
would vote on a new electoral law by September 25, followed 
soon by the launch of President Sleiman's National Dialogue. 
Berri also criticized Israeli overflights and Israel's 
reluctance to give up its cluster bomb targeting data in 
order for deminers to prioritize their work.  DAS Hale said 
the USG would ask Israel about the information, but 
emphasized that Lebanon had to fully comply with UNSCR 1701 
and address Hizballah's illegal weapons.  End Summary. 
 
¶2.  (C) Visiting NEA DAS David Hale, accompanied by 
Ambassador, NEA/ELA Lebanon desk officer, and PolOffs, met 
with the Speaker, MP Ali Bazzi, and Berri advisor Ali Hamdan 
at Berri's office in Ain el-Tineh on August 28. 
 
U.S. STILL FOCUSED 
ON LEBANON 
------------------ 
 
¶3.  (C) DAS Hale told Berri the objective of his visit was to 
reaffirm USG support for Lebanon's sovereignty, independence, 
integrity and its institutions.  He added that he wanted to 
know where the USG could most effectively lend its support to 
Lebanon, as well as trying to get a sense of how the National 
Dialogue was progressing, and preparations for Spring 2008 
legislative elections.  DAS Hale also said he was here to 
discuss the next phase of USG security support to Lebanon and 
to emphasize full implementation of UNSCR 1701. 
 
¶4.  (C) Berri said he did not have the impression that the 
U.S. was losing interest in Lebanon.  He attributed any 
misperceptions to the timing of the U.S. elections, noting 
that many in the U.S. would be focused on domestic 
presidential elections.  Berri thanked DAS Hale for the USG's 
material support to the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) and 
criticized European and Arab countries for only providing 
verbal support. 
 
UNIFIED ARMY NEEDED 
TO END TRIPOLI VIOLENCE 
----------------------- 
 
¶5.  (C) Berri added that Lebanon could not function without a 
strong and unified LAF.  He said he was troubled by how 
overstretched the LAF currently is, noting that some units 
operating in the south in conjunction with UNIFIL forces, as 
part of UNSCR 1701, had been forced to redeploy to Tripoli in 
order to help stabilize the security situation there. 
¶6.  (C) The Speaker attributed the conflict in Tripoli to 
Al-Qaeda and foreign fighter militants, particularly from 
Iraq, coming to Lebanon to destabilize the country.  He said 
two things were needed in the north in order to counter their 
efforts:  economic development and investment, as well as 
increased security.  Berri believed that three to five 
thousand LAF soldiers would ultimately need to be re-deployed 
from the south to the north, but admitted that this would be 
a dangerous tradeoff. 
 
NEW LAF COMMANDER 
----------------- 
 
¶7.  (C) Berri said the cabinet had not (then) yet chosen a 
new LAF Commander because of internal squabbles within March 
¶14.  Berri said the problem was between March 14 Saad Hariri 
and Walid Jumblatt.  Berri said he spoke with Hizballah 
leader Hassan Nasrallah, and Nasrallah did not care who the 
 
BEIRUT 00001270  002 OF 003 
 
 
next LAF Commander would be.  Berri said he also did not feel 
strongly about who should be named to the position.  Berri 
did not specify the particular problem between Hariri and 
Jumblatt over the LAF leadership, but noted that Jumblatt 
felt that Hariri had gone behind his back and that the issue 
would not be solved until Hariri returned to Lebanon from his 
vacation in Europe (the choice of General Kahwagi as the new 
LAF Commander was announced during an August 29 cabinet 
meeting.) 
 
NATIONAL DIALOGUE TO 
BE HELD AFTER SEPTEMBER 
----------------------- 
 
¶8.  (C) Berri said the only obligatory item to be discussed 
during the National Dialogue would be the National Defense 
Strategy (i.e. Hizballah's weapons).  Berri said that he was 
not opposed to discussing other issues, as long as all the 
participants agreed to have the discussions.  He also said 
only parties represented in the parliament with more than 
four members should be allowed to participate, as occurred 
during the 2006 dialogue. 
 
¶9.  (C) He noted that the 2008 National Dialogue would be 
chaired by President Sleiman and ultimately the decision 
concerning whom to or not to invite would be up to him. 
However, Berri said he would recommend to Sleiman that the 
2006 criteria be met as opposed to inviting fifty or sixty 
people to participate.  The 2008 National Dialogue would most 
likely occur after September because of Ramadan and Sleiman's 
trips to New York during UN General Assembly meeting and his 
planned regional travel (Egypt and Qatar).  Berri added that 
during his recent trip to Qatar, the Emir of Qatar offered to 
facilitate National Dialogue meetings, which Berri had 
welcomed. 
 
ELECTORAL LAW 
BY SEPTEMBER 25 
--------------- 
 
¶10. (C) Berri said Lebanon would have a new electoral law by 
September 25.  If there was consensus on which reforms to 
adopt, along with the Doha Accord stipulation for a 
majoritarian districting system, an earlier vote on the 
electoral law could occur.  Berri hoped this districting 
system would be changed for the 2013 parliamentary elections. 
 (Note:  In the past Berri often has told us he prefers 
proportional representation.  End note.)  He added that 
security concerns would not be an issue on election day and 
refuted any talk suggesting otherwise. 
 
SOUTH LEBANON - 
POOR ECONOMY, GOOD SECURITY 
--------------------------- 
 
¶11. (C) Berri noted that the economic situation in the south, 
as was the case for all of Lebanon, was "not good" at the 
moment.  Electricity shortages and availability, as well as 
access to clean water, were the two main priorities for the 
region.  In terms of security, Berri believed that southern 
Lebanon was the most secure region in the country, noting 
that South Lebanon was more secure than Tripoli in the north 
and even Beirut.  (Note:  As Berri said this, news outlets 
reported that a LAF helicopter was fired upon by militants in 
the southern town of Iqlim Al Tuffah, forcing the helicopter 
to make an emergency landing.  First Lieutenant Samer Hanna 
was killed in the incident and an investigation is underway. 
End Note.) 
 
ISRAEL OVERFLIGHTS 
MUST END 
------------------ 
 
¶12. (C) Berri then went into a tirade about Israeli 
overflights over Lebanon.  He said Israel would have no 
reason to worry about Hizballah's ability to fire upon its 
aircraft if Israel was not violating Lebanese airspace. 
 
BEIRUT 00001270  003 OF 003 
 
 
Berri said the overflights only provoke Hizballah and that 
Israel should stop them immediately.  He added that Lebanon 
is ready to implement UNSCR 1701 "word for word," if Israel 
was ready to do the same.  Berri also felt that recent 
Israeli saber-rattling over Hizballah's weapons was just a 
threat and that Israel would not act because it would not be 
in Israel's interest. 
 
¶13. (C) DAS Hale said he believed that neither side wanted a 
conflict.  However, th Israeli Defense Force (IDF) was 
alarmed by Hizbllah's ability to rearm and smuggle weapons 
across Lebanese territory with free reign, noting the lack of 
any credible effort by the GOL to halt such activities.  DAS 
Hale advised Berri to work to avoid further provoking the 
Israelis by fully complying with UNSCR 1701. 
 
CLUSTER BOMB INFO 
NEEDED FROM ISRAEL 
------------------ 
 
¶14. (C) Berri then asked for USG assistance in clearing the 
cluster bomb problem in South Lebanon.  He said more than two 
million bombs had been dropped by the Israelis after the two 
sides agreed to UNSCR 1701, which ended the month-long 
conflict on August 14, 2006.  Every week women, children, and 
UNIFIL soldiers were being injured and killed because of 
these cluster bombs, Berri said.  In the two year period 
since the war ended more than 200 people had been injured, 
and over 30 killed, by cluster bombs in southern Lebanon. 
Berri noted that the United Arab Emirates completed its 
demining project in the south and had no plans to support 
continued demining activities.  He suggested that the USG ask 
Qatar for additional funding.  Berri also said the Israelis 
should offer up their targeting maps so deminers could 
prioritize their demining activities. 
 
¶15. (C) DAS Hale told Berri the USG would continue to seek 
accurate strike data, and would explore additional USG 
funding to support demining activities in the area as well as 
coordinate with the UN on seeking other donor support. 
Concerning the first solution, Berri said the USG needed to 
demand, not ask, the Israelis for their targeting information 
and said he supported seeking additional USG funding or other 
donor support. 
 
¶16. (U) DAS Hale has cleared this cable. 
 
SISON