VZCZCXRO6712
PP RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHKUK RUEHMOS
DE RUEHLB #0895/01 0801511
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 211511Z MAR 06
FM AMEMBASSY BEIRUT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 2672
INFO RUEHEE/ARAB LEAGUE COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RHMFISS/CDR USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL PRIORITY
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BEIRUT 000895 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
NSC FOR ABRAMS/DORAN/WERNER/SINGH 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/21/2016 
TAGS: CVIS EG KISL LE PGOV SA SY
SUBJECT: MGLE01:  SPEAKER BERRI ASKS FOR US, SAUDI, AND 
EGYPTIAN HELP IN PRESSURING SYRIA ON PRESIDENCY 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Jeffrey D. Feltman.  Reason: Section 1.4 (d). 
 
SUMMARY 
-------- 
 
¶1.  (C)  In a March 21 meeting with the Ambassador and 
econoff, Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri was upbeat about 
the success of the national dialogue he has brokered.  He was 
confident of a solution to Hizballah's arms when the national 
dialogue resumes on March 22.  The difficult issue, according 
to Berri, will be the presidency.  There are too many 
candidates.  To break the impasse, Berri urged the USG to ask 
Saudi Arabia and Egypt to pressure Syria to ask President 
Emile Lahoud to resign.  Saudi Arabia is doing nothing now 
because it is angry with the March 14 coalition for rejecting 
its January initiative, according to Berri.  Berri dismissed 
rumors of Syrian-proposed "compromise" candidates for the 
presidency as lies.  He vowed to continue the national 
dialogue for as long as it takes, even if Syrian and 
President Lahoud oppose it.  Responding to a congressional 
letter delivered by the Ambassador, Berri in principle agreed 
to an invitation by the House Democratic Assistance Committee 
for exchanges.  End summary. 
 
UP NEXT: ARMS AND LAHOUD 
------------------------ 
 
¶2.  (C)  On March 21, the Ambassador and econoff met with 
Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri and his foreign affairs 
adviser Ali Hamdan at his heavily defended official home in 
Ayn el-Tinneh.  Despite the rumors in Beirut that the 
national dialogue is about to collapse, Berri was upbeat, 
expressing satisfaction at what has already been accomplished 
at the national dialogue under his auspices.  He said that 
when the national dialogue resumes on March 22, the remaining 
two issues will be discussed: Hizballah's arms and the 
presidency.  While not explaining his reasoning, Berri saw 
the arms issue as much easier to resolve than the presidency. 
 Berri expressed confidence on his strategy to deal with 
Hizballah's arms.  "I have prepared many exits...I am not 
afraid at all (of this issue)," he said cryptically.  Berri 
claimed that if only the issue of Hizballah's arms remained, 
he could wrap up the dialogue quickly. 
 
BERRI ASKS FOR PRESSURE 
ON SYRIA OVER LAHOUD 
--------------------- 
 
¶3.  (C)  The presidency, on the hand, concerned Berri.  There 
were too many people that wanted the job.  And at least three 
would be sitting at the conference table: MP Michel Aoun, MP 
Boutros Harb, and former President Amine Gemayel.  Berri said 
that Gemayel told him he was not a candidate, but Berri did 
not believe him.  Berri said that he had been talking 
privately with MP Saad Hariri, Gemayel, and Harb to resolve 
the presidency issue, but outside help would be needed to 
break the impasse.  "I need help," Berri stated frankly.  The 
US, France, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt must pressure the Syrian 
regime to ask President Emile Lahoud to resign, said Berri 
repeatedly for emphasis.  The region must push Lahoud to 
resign.  We need Arab pressure on Syria, Berri explained, but 
Saudi Arabia is still angry at Hariri and Walid Jumblatt for 
rejecting its January initiative to lower Syrian-Lebanese 
tensions.  The Saudis are not doing anything, said Berri. 
 
¶4.  (C)  Berri, bragging that he had not met with a Syrian 
official in six months (with the exception of a meaningless 
encounter with the Syrian speaker of parliament in Jordan), 
urged the Ambassador that the USG talk to Damascus.  The 
Ambassador replied that, with US diplomatic relations with 
Syria not good right now, a US-Syrian dialogue is unlikely. 
Berri replied: "If you can't talk to the Syrians, then talk 
to the Egyptians and Saudis into pressuring the Syrians." 
 
RUMOR MILL GENERATES 
PRESIDENTIAL NAMES 
------------------- 
 
¶5.  (C)  Reciting the most recent rumors of the presidential 
race, Berri dismissed them as lies.  In particular, he denied 
that the SARG is issuing orders to support one of three 
candidates acceptable to Damascus: social butterfly Michel 
Edde, Justice Minister Charles Rizk, and Central Bank 
Governor Riad Salameh.  "It is a big lie," Berri cheerfully 
asserted.  "The Syrians never contacted me," he claimed. 
Berri joked about Edde as president, saying  that he would 
stay for 12 years, because it would take him 6 years to issue 
 
BEIRUT 00000895  002 OF 002 
 
 
his statements and 6 years for everyone else to answer. 
Berri then spread his own rumor, telling the Ambassador that 
Saad Hariri, not the Syrians, had mentioned Riad Salameh to 
him. 
 
NEITHER SYRIA NOR LAHOUD 
CAN DERAIL DIALOGUE 
----------------------- 
 
¶6.  (C)  Berri promised that he would continue the national 
dialogue as long as it takes.  The national dialogue could 
continue for two months or more.  Berri believed Syrian 
President Bashar al-Asad to be opposed to the dialogue based 
on statements made before the dialogue began.  "I don't 
care," blustered Berri about Syrian opposition to the 
dialogue.  Berri acknowledged that Syria does not have to 
cooperate with Lebanon on resolving sovereignty over the 
area.  He suggested that the UN could pressure Syria to 
answer Lebanese claims. 
 
¶7.  (C)  When asked about President Lahoud's fiery 3/18 
interview on Aljazeera, Berri did not conceal his disdain for 
Lahoud.  "He repeats the same thing for five years," chuckled 
Berri.  He saw Lahoud's statements as trying to divide those 
participating in the dialogue.  Recent statements by 
Hizballah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah, including his 
3/20 Al-Manar interview, were more reasonable.  Explaining 
that he did not want to defend Nasrallah, Berri said that 
Nasrallah was only responding to Druze leader Walid 
Jumblatt's statements outside of the dialogue.  No one should 
be making public statements outside of the dialogue, and 
Jumblatt violated that unwritten rule, according to Berri. 
Berri boasted that he has been able to bring Nasrallah and 
Jumblatt to the conference table.  Thus far, the discussion 
between Nasrallah and Jumblatt has been cordial, with even a 
few jokes told, said Berri. 
 
AMBASSADOR DELIVERS 
CONGRESSIONAL INVITATION 
------------------------ 
 
¶8.  (SBU)  The Ambassador delivered an invitation by the 
House Democratic Assistance Committee for an exchange this 
summer and fall.  Berri replied that, in principle, his 
answer is yes.  He warmly recalled his visit to the US in 
1963 on a visitor program when he visited more than 20 
states.  California and Colorado were his favorite. 
 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
¶9.  (C)  Many Lebanese are predicting that tomorrow's 
national dialogue will be difficult and inconclusive, given 
the controversial issues to be discussed.  Skeptics believe 
that, with the Syrians supposedly angry at the dialogue's 
heretofore unprecedented success, Syria has passed messages 
to its allies -- including Berri -- to prevent any further 
progress.  Yet Berri was beaming and optimistic at this 
meeting, undoubtedly a result of the unexpected success of 
the national dialogue he organized.  His good spirits may 
also be linked to what he sees as improved relations with the 
USG, now that he is actually playing a positive role.  Berri, 
a long-time Syrian ally, was also unusually dismissive of 
Damascus.  The old Berri surfaced briefly, however, with an 
impromptu (and unwanted) history lesson on the Shebaa Farms. 
End comment. 
FELTMAN