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RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BEIRUT 000337 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
NSC FOR ABRAMS/DORAN/MARCHESE/HARDING 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/05/2017 
TAGS: PGOV PREL PTER ARRMZY SY LE IS
SUBJECT: LEBANON:  INTERNATIONAL ASSISTANCE FOR BORDER 
SECURITY 
 
REF: BEIRUT 314 
 
BEIRUT 00000337  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
Classified By:  Ambassador Jeffrey D. Feltman.  Reason: Section 1.4 (b) 
. 
 
SUMMARY 
------- 
 
¶1.  (C)  In a 3/2 meeting, the Border Security sub-group, a 
working-level unit of the larger International Security 
Assistance Donors Group that meets monthly in Beirut, 
discussed the current status of Lebanon's border security 
effort.  Although the Siniora government wants the German-led 
Northern Border Pilot program to ramp up as soon as possible, 
there is confusion over who will assist Lebanon's security 
services on the remainder of the Lebanese-Syrian frontier. 
Siniora has designated the LAF as the lead unit among 
Lebanon's security services regarding the pilot program, 
which suits the Germans.  The operational plan is reportedly 
finished, except for communications (due to interoperability 
questions) and will shortly be shared with those donor 
nations who have expressed an interest in assisting the 
program.  Meanwhile, the UN/DPKO office in New York sent in a 
team to update last fall's DPKO assessment report, which 
encompassed the entire Lebanese-Syrian border.  Their visit 
last week to the northern border area, however, has 
apparently confused the LAF, who thought that project would 
be a strictly German-led effort.  The inclusion of two UNIFIL 
officers in the DPKO team further perplexed the LAF. 
Finally, despite earlier reports to the contrary, the EU is 
now expressing interest in taking over the northern pilot 
program once its initial six-month phase is completed.  End 
summary. 
 
¶2.  (C)  Embassy Beirut representatives have participated in 
a series of informal international security assistance donor 
meetings over the past five months at both core group and 
sub-group levels.  Although the larger group has proved 
useful for sharing overall developments (e.g. status of 
UNIFIL's current operations), the sub-group meetings have 
proved a better forum for candid discussion of planned 
initiatives and emerging challenges. 
 
¶3.  (C)  According to LtCol Stephan Helmschrott, the German 
representative at the March 2 Border Security sub-group 
meeting, Prime Minister Siniora has given Germany's 
ambassador to Lebanon clear authorization to proceed with the 
Northern Border Pilot project.  Siniora informed the German 
ambassador that he has directed the LAF to take the lead in 
the multi-service effort (LAF, ISF, Surete General, Customs). 
 The operational director of the project for the LAF will be 
Brigadier General Mustafa Majzoub, the army's northern 
commander.  The German side of the effort will be headed by 
Brigadier General Detlef Karioth, German Federal Police, who 
has been working on the project since its inception last 
fall.  Gen. Majzoub has already set aside billeting and work 
spaces for the anticipated group of German advisors in the 
garrison town of Aandqet, which is located close to the 
center of the operational area. 
 
A FEW CROSSED WIRES 
------------------- 
 
¶4.  (C)  Although the Northern Border Pilot project appears 
to be well organized in the actual operating area, the lines 
of authority become more tangled as they lead back to Beirut. 
 Minister of Defense Elias Murr has recently appointed Major 
General Said Eid, Secretary of the Higher Defense Council, 
and Brigadier General George Hisham, Deputy Chief of Staff 
for Planning, to "coordinate" international donors to the 
project, even though the Germans had intended to carry out 
that function on their own -- preferably through the 
International Security Assistance Donors Group.  General 
Karioth, in particular, had hoped the LAF would concentrate 
on coordinating Lebanon's contribution to the effort, most 
importantly, the expeditious allocation of personnel and 
facilities for the project.  General Karioth is planning to 
meet with General Eid to work this out, because he fears that 
if equipment and training needs for this project become 
embroiled in politics at LAF Headquarters, it could introduce 
further unacceptable delays in executing the project. 
 
¶5.  (C)  Karioth told the sub-group that the equipment and 
training requirements list for the pilot project is nearly 
 
BEIRUT 00000337  002 OF 002 
 
 
complete (a communications package still needs to be 
determined, but the German Federal Police are sending a 
communications expert to work with General Majzoub next 
week).  Once he settles on the communications package, he 
wants to begin the equipment acquisition and training 
process.  Karioth said he fully appreciates the need to get 
the correct mix of equipment (i.e., interoperable and 
suitable to LAF maintenance capabilities) at the beginning of 
the project, to avoid unnecessary and expensive changes later 
on when the border effort is extended to the rest of 
Lebanon's border with Syria.  But he firmly believes this can 
be done at the pilot project level.  If possible, he wants to 
avoid yet another equipment assessment, especially if it 
involves the traditionally slow LAF Headquarters decision 
process. 
 
¶6.  (C)  In a related matter, the UK's representative to the 
sub-group meeting reported that two officers representing the 
European Union's Security Council visited Lebanon last week 
to evaluate the "operational requirements" of the Northern 
Border Pilot project.  The EU is apparently "very interested" 
in taking over the project once it has completed its initial 
phase.  The UK, German, and Danish representatives indicated 
this was preferable to the only other alternative -- UN 
sponsorship.  According to the German representative, PM 
Siniora has also expressed a preference for an EU partnership 
in later phases of the project, rather than the UN.  (Note: 
This development is at odds with recent reporting that the EU 
has steadfastly refused to release available funds for the 
initial phase of the pilot project.  End note.) 
 
UN/DPKO VISIT TO LEBANON 
------------------------ 
 
¶7.  (C)  In September 2006, at the request of Lebanon's 
Ministry of Defense, the UN Department of Peacekeeping 
Operations sent an assessment team to evaluate the country's 
ports, airport, and land borders.  Ten days ago, a follow-up 
team arrived to update the original report and evaluate the 
progress made by the GOL in securing its borders.  The team 
reportedly visited all portions of the Lebanese border:  the 
Blue Line, as well as Lebanon's eastern and northern borders 
with Syria.  Although the core of the team comprised staff 
from UN/DPKO headquarters, at least two UNIFIL personnel 
accompanied the team on its field investigations, including 
its visit to the north. 
 
¶8.  (C)  The unexpected presence of UNIFIL personnel in the 
northern border area reportedly resulted in some 
consternation among LAF leadership, in that it was felt that 
UNIFIL may be operating out of its area of responsibility. 
DPKO officers apparently assured their LAF counterparts that 
since UNIFIL's presence on the team was unofficial and the 
visit was merely for assessment purposes, there was no intent 
to imply a possible expansion of UNIFIL's mission at this 
time. 
 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
¶9.  (C)  The mix of international players involved in 
Lebanon's security assistance effort (UNIFIL, EU, UN/DPKO, 
international donors, including a number of GCC states who do 
not share information with other donors) may be beginning to 
overtax the GOL's ability to coordinate and effectively 
absorb the assistance.  The aforementioned LAF Major General 
Said Eid is supposed to be heading up an International 
Security Assistance Coordination Panel to work with various 
international participants, as well as coordinate Lebanon's 
disparate security services, in the important tasks of 
modernization and securing the country's land and sea 
borders.  But as of this date, the panel has not met and may 
not be established.  The informal International Security 
Assistance Donors Group could possibly fulfill at least part 
of this function, but what is needed is that the LAF and ISF 
step up and assume their "planning and policy" 
responsibilities.  Getting any security project implemented 
under the present system, including the Northern Border pilot 
project, is both a difficult and lengthy process.  End 
comment. 
FELTMAN