VZCZCXRO1036
PP RUEHAG RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHDF RUEHIK RUEHKUK RUEHLZ RUEHROV
DE RUEHLB #3875/01 3551014
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 211014Z DEC 06
FM AMEMBASSY BEIRUT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 6953
INFO RUEHEE/ARAB LEAGUE COLLECTIVE
RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE
RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO 0657
RHMFISS/CDR USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BEIRUT 003875 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
NSC FOR ABRAMS/DORAN/MARCHESE/HARDING, STATE FOR NEA/ELA, 
NEA/FO: ATACHCO 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL PTER LE
SUBJECT: LEBANON: MICHEL AOUNS SAYS, "I DON'T WANT TO BE 
MISUNDERSTOOD" 
 
SUMMARY 
 
¶1. (SBU)  FPM leader and MP General Michel Aoun offered a 
series of indirect answers, vague pronouncements and 
prophesies of continuing and even-bigger challenges to the 
current government, in the course of meeting with visiting 
Senators Dodd and Kerry.  Aoun blamed the Siniora regime for 
marginalization of Christians and abuses of power.  He 
proposed no solutions, but advocated a cabinet that included 
more representatives from the opposition.  End summary. 
 
¶2. (SBU)  Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) leader Michel Aoun 
received CODEL Dodd/Kerry at his home in Beirut on December 
¶18.  He said that he wanted to clarify misconceptions about 
him and his position, which are fostered by the press in the 
U.S. and run counter to his and the FPM,s genuine affinity 
for the United States.  He said that, despite his "little 
disagreements" with the Ambassador, he is still friendly to 
the U.S. and considers that "shared values" between the two 
countries are important.  Aoun,s conversation was made up 
mostly of platitudes and indirect replies to questions.  He 
focused not on substantive issues, but instead he tried to 
explain his appeal to Christians as a non-corrupt nationalist 
whose engagement with Hizballah was reassuring to people who 
are otherwise worried about the cost of excluding Hizballah 
from mainstream Lebanese politics. 
 
ABUSE BY THE GOVERNMENT 
RESULTS IN FAILURE 
----------------------- 
 
¶3. (SBU)  Aoun attributed the current crisis in the GOL to 
"abuses" by the government, beginning with the abuses of 
President Lahoud.  The Cabinet and the President were each 
attempting to act independently of one another, with the 
President ceasing to cooperate with the Cabinet, and the 
Cabinet not respecting the constitution.  For Aoun, the 
government and particularly the Cabinet is a failure on all 
counts:  an economic failure in the absence of any reform; a 
political failure in the absence of a unity government; and a 
security failure marked by too many assassinations.  Now is 
time for new elections, to construct a government that will 
rest on solid constitutional grounds. 
 
THE GOVERNMENT IS THE PROBLEM 
----------------------------- 
 
¶4. (SBU)  Aoun explained why he believes that the government 
is currently unconstitutional.  He cited two conditions for 
legitimacy:  a proper number of ministers in the Cabinet, and 
a proper distribution of ministries among the confessions. 
When challenged by Senator Kerry on why the current set-up is 
unconstitutional, Aoun changed the subject to the 
marginalization of Christians, saying, "I always spoke 
against that" for more than eighteen months.  "Our consensual 
democracy needs power sharing.  The government has to abide 
by democratic conditions."  He scorned as another government 
mistake the "internationalizing or Arabizing" of Lebanon,s 
problems, saying that Lebanon,s political crisis &is not a 
Syrian/Iranian problem." 
 
THE FPM AND HIZBALLAH 
WILL KEEP THIS UP 
--------------------- 
 
¶5. (SBU)  Hizballah and the Shia are rightfully a part of the 
government, said Aoun.  Rather than fighting, the solution 
should be based on resolving the status of Hizballah,s 
weapons.  Aoun said he opposed anything that involves Iran in 
the internal affairs of Lebanon, but then sidestepped an 
effort to draw him out on his February 2006 pact with 
Hizballah.  He admitted to being a candidate for the 
presidency.  In his capacity as a voice of the opposition, he 
added that if the crisis is not settled, "we will keep it 
(the downtown demonstrations and sit-ins) like this until the 
New Year" and then it will be "huge."  He described the 
sit-ins as an attempt not to bring down the government, but 
to achieve democracy. 
 
NO DIRECT ANSWERS 
----------------- 
 
¶6.  (SBU)  On the question of the Special Tribunal, Aoun said 
that if Cabinet approval of the Tribunal reaches the 
Parliament, then he will vote for it.  He said the problem 
 
BEIRUT 00003875  002 OF 002 
 
 
with the Tribunal is in the text of the documents; they must 
conform with the constitution.  "Discussion of the documents 
should take place between Cabinet ministers and Parliamentary 
deputies."  The proposed "blocking third" that the opposition 
seeks in Cabinet composition is not a problem, Aoun said, 
because the opposition would never use its ability to block 
proposed legislation on domestic issues.  It would consider 
blocking only "important issues" like the Special Tribunal or 
foreign policy questions. 
 
¶7.  (SBU)  Aoun declined to identify whom he thought might 
have killed former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri, on the ground 
that he (Aoun) is a "responsible" person.  He suggested that 
the crime could have been a hired job, the act of Muslim 
extremists, or possibly Syria.  He thought that the Lebanese 
Armed Forces are doing well, although they may need more 
training to act effectively in the south.  He was 
non-committal about the UNSCRs 1559 and 1701, saying that 
they should be "respected" in the course of discussions in 
the national dialogue. 
 
AND ON SYRIA . . . 
------------------ 
 
¶8.  (SBU)  The CODEL noted that they would be traveling to 
Syria and asked Aoun what message the Senators should take to 
President Bashar al-Asad.  Aoun replied that the Syrian 
President should be asked to "leave Lebanon alone," although 
not at the expense of good and friendly relations between 
Syria and Lebanon.  Aoun deflected a question on how much 
money the Syrians took out of Lebanon during the Syrian 
occupation, recommending a forensic investigation of Syria,s 
Lebanese collaborators, implicating unspecified members of 
the present government. 
 
¶9.  (SBU)  Codel Dodd has cleared this cable. 
MURRAY