VZCZCXRO5251
PP RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHKUK RUEHROV
DE RUEHLB #0425 0861419
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 261419Z MAR 08
FM AMEMBASSY BEIRUT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1364
INFO RUEHEE/ARAB LEAGUE COLLECTIVE
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC

UNCLAS BEIRUT 000425 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR USAID, APRIL HAHN 
DEPT PASS TO EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE 
TUNIS FOR PETER MULREAN 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: EAID PREL KMPI KDEM LE
SUBJECT: LEBANON: PARTNERS SUGGEST PRACTICAL STEPS TO MOVE FORWARD 
JOINTLY ON ELECTORAL REFORM 
 
REF: Beirut 00303 
 
Summary 
---- 
 
¶1. (U) On March 18, Emboffs hosted their monthly electoral reform 
coordination meeting for U.S.-funded NGOs and local civil society 
partners.  The objective of the meeting was to reconcile a range of 
coordination and strategic communication issues between the various 
stakeholders and discuss IFESQs new "training academy" proposal to 
broaden the awareness and skills of local partners on electoral 
reform issues.  Frank talk resulted in some positive solutions to 
difficult issues.  End Summary. 
 
MeetingQs Agenda 
-------- 
 
¶2. (U) On March 18, Embassy hosted representatives from the 
International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES), the National 
Democratic Institute (NDI), the International Republican Institute 
(IRI), the Lebanese Transparency Association (LTA) and the Civil 
Campaign for Electoral Reform (CCER) to the third monthly electoral 
reform coordination meeting. 
 
¶3. (U) Agenda items included: 
 
- LTAQs plan for centralizing CCERQs activities 
- Ironing out coordination and strategy communication 
- IFES proposal for a "technical certification program" for local 
partners 
 
New "Executive Secretariat" for CCER 
---------- 
 
¶4. (U) LTAQs co-executive director Khalil Gebara noted that the 
Civil Campaign for Electoral Reform (CCER) has never had an 
independent office and has always been operating from three 
different locations, which has undermined its efficiency.  Time has 
therefore come to centraliz activities into a single independent 
"executivesecretariat" office with an expanded staff that woud 
include a project manager, a grassroots officer and a senior 
communication officer to be trained by NDI on political lobbying 
techniques.  During his recent meeting with LTA in Beirut, NEA/PIQs 
Political Pillar Manager Owen Kirby expressed MEPIQs strong support 
for this initiative.  LTA was asked to further define the work 
requirements for the CCER secretariat to present at the next 
meeting. 
 
Formalizing Coordination and Communication Strategy 
----------- 
 
¶5. (U) Gebara expressed concern about IFES meetings with political 
leaders and members of parliament, which often overlapped with 
CCERQs political lobbying activities.  IFES Country Director Richard 
Chambers clarified that these visits were solely educational.  He 
provides briefings for political party members, but also inquires 
about the formal positions of each party, which has been 
misinterpreted.  He pledged to notify CCER of these visits ahead of 
time, to be clear about the educational nature of his briefings and 
to share summaries of these discussions.  Special Assistant 
Jacqueline Ward asked IFES and CCER to engage in systematic 
information sharing through CCERQs "executive secretariat." 
 
Training Academy 
------- 
 
¶6.  (U) IFES Country Director Richard Chambers underlined the need 
for CCER to broaden the awareness and skills of its local partners 
to better engage political parties on electoral reform issues.  He 
proposed to set up an academy to train a group of fifteen CCER core 
members on the following topics: achieving international standards 
for elections; independent elections commission proposal; voting age 
and universal suffrage; campaign finance regulations and media 
regulations; electoral systems; voting and counting procedures; out 
of country voting and absentee balloting; disabled access; voter 
registration; processes for legislative change in Lebanon; working 
with the authorities.  At the end of the four-day training, 
participants will receive a certificate which will qualify them to 
train other CCER members, Chambers added.  NDI will supplement 
IFESQs work by providing workshops on political lobbying, strategic 
planning and effective public communications. 
 
¶7.  Special Assistant Jacqueline Ward asked IFES, NDI and CCER to 
develop a joint action plan to get the academy up and running as 
soon as possible. 
 
SISON