VZCZCXRO2959
PP RUEHAG RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHKUK RUEHROV
DE RUEHLB #0996/01 1911600
ZNY SSSSS ZZH
P 091600Z JUL 08
FM AMEMBASSY BEIRUT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 2435
INFO RUEHEE/ARAB LEAGUE COLLECTIVE
RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 2588
RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO 2875
RHMFISS/CDR USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL
RHEHAAA/NSC WASHDC

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 BEIRUT 000996 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR NEA/FO, NEA/ELA 
ALSO FOR IO A/S SILVERBERG AND PDAS WARLICK 
USUN FOR KHALILZAD/WOLFF/KUMAR/PHEE 
NSC FOR ABRAMS/SINGH/YERGER/GAVITO 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/08/2018 
TAGS: KJUS PGOV PINR PREL PTER UNSC FR GB LE
SUBJECT: LEBANON: DETERMINED UNIIIC COMMISSIONER MAKING 
PROGRESS 
 
Classified By: CDA William Grant for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
SUMMARY 
-------- 
 
¶1. (S)  UNIIIC Commissioner Daniel Bellemare told emboffs on 
July 9 that he sees no wavering of French support for UNIIIC 
and the Special Tribunal, asked for USG support in the 
Special Tribunal Management Committee and positive USG 
responses to his requests for assistance.  Ever the careful 
prosecutor, he exuded confidence and determination, but was 
tight-lipped about certain subjects. 
 
¶2. (C) Acknowledging that UNIIIC is handling cases that are 
currently under Lebanese jurisdiction, Bellemare lamented 
that he cannot trust many government officials, particularly 
those in the security services. He noted that the recent 
lawsuit filed by Saad Hariri against the four detained 
generals may raise questions about access to UNIIIC evidence. 
 Bellemare plans to launch a communications campaign in the 
fall that will aim to entice those with knowledge about the 
attacks to step forward.  End summary. 
 
FRENCH ARE "120 PERCENT" 
SUPPORTIVE 
------------------------ 
 
¶3. (C) The CDA, accompanied by LegAtt and PolOff, met with 
UNIIIC Commissioner Daniel Bellemare at the UNIIIC 
headquarters in Monteverde on July 9.  Asked about his recent 
trip to Paris, Bellemare refrained from providing details, 
but assured the CDA that French support for UNIIIC and the 
Special Tribunal is unwavering, adding that he felt French 
officials were "120 percent" behind him.  Even if it were 
otherwise, he said, he is moving ahead and the only entity 
which can stop him is the UN Security Council. 
 
¶4. (S) France is unable to provide the kind of assistance he 
is getting from the U.S. DOJ and UK Scotland Yard because the 
most experienced French investigators are not fluent in 
English, he said.  Instead, he continued, France will be 
providing other kinds of assistance. 
 
MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE MUST 
"GET OUT OF THE TRENCHES" 
------------------------- 
 
¶5. (C) Noting that he will be traveling to New York next 
week, July 14-16, Bellemare expressed again the concern that 
the Tribunal Management Committee within the UN may be too 
restrictive on what he will need when be becomes Tribunal 
prosecutor.  He relayed that the committee had met the 
previous day, and that he found the flexibility it had shown 
to be more positive than prior meetings. 
 
¶6. (C) The committee would next meet on July 21, according to 
Bellemare.  He said there was no decision yet on staffing for 
the Special Tribunal, and that this concerned him.  He wants 
some flexibility to decide on the number of positions at 
different ranks, so long as he stays within the overall 
parameters for staffing.  "The committee must get out of the 
trenches," he complained, adding, "These matters should not 
hijack the entire Tribunal process". 
 
¶7. (C) Commenting that he heard some "individuals" who might 
be subjects of the Tribunal have already enlisted top-notch 
British lawyers in anticipation of indictments, Bellemare 
said that this gives him all the more reason to push the 
Management Committee to be more flexible.  "I need a dream 
team to counter the dream team hired by them.  We are 
preparing for war". 
 
¶8. (C) While in New York July 14-16, Bellemare said he hoped 
to meet Ambassador Khalilzad to update him on how member 
states' cooperation is going and to hear his assessment of 
the Management Committee's progress.  Bellemare said it is 
important to have the support of Khalilzad for his efforts. 
 
APPRECIATION FOR 
USG ASSISTANCE 
------------------- 
 
¶9. (S) Bellemare had high praise for Paul Coffey, the DOJ 
investigator who recently joined his staff, seconded by the 
USG.  He told us he still needed criminal analysts. 
 
¶10. (S) CDA asked about the status of the investigation. 
Bellemare confided that for certain lines of the 
investigation, he had reached the limit of what could be done 
through research and now hopes to employ wire-tapping on 
telephone land lines.  Within Lebanon, authority for 
wiretapping is with the Lebanese Armed Forces G-2 (LAF 
military intelligence) or the Internal Security Forces (ISF), 
and he is concerned about leaks from both organizations. 
 
¶11. (S) Bellemare explained that there are two phone 
companies, one Lebanese-owned, MTC Touch, and the other 
Dutch-owned, Alpha.  He said some of the wire-tapping work 
could be done remotely, but that part of the work required 
physical maneuvering.  He is willing to test out the 
wire-tapping system on less important targets, using the 
local company, to see if it is successful.  He cautioned that 
his proposal was predicated on getting the legal authority 
from the GOL. 
 
DIFFICULTY TRUSTING 
LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT 
--------------------- 
 
¶12. (C) Commenting that his relationship with the Lebanese 
Internal Security Force (ISF) has improved over time, he 
reported that he meets regularly with a small group of 
officers.  Regarding his wire-tapping proposal, he suggested 
that he may be able to dentify a few trusted ISF officers 
who could faclitate its implementation. 
 
SAAD HARIRI'S LAWSUIT 
MAY BE UNHELPFUL 
--------------------- 
 
¶13. (C) This week, Saad Hariri sued the four generals 
detained for alleged involvement in the assassination of his 
father.  Bellemare noted that this lawsuit could enable Saad 
to access certain information to build his case.  Bellemare 
reported that he had legal analysts looking into the Lebanese 
law to see what kind of information access Saad will be 
granted.  Bellemare said he was not sure how Saad's case 
benefits UNIIIC's mission, stating with conviction, "If the 
Commission is weakened by this lawsuit, I will have to manage 
the situation." 
 
PLANNING TO LAUNCH 
COMMUNICATIONS CAMPAIGN 
----------------------- 
 
¶14. (C) Acknowledging that he rarely makes public statements, 
Bellemare said that he will have a spokesperson, the same 
woman who worked for Nicola Michel, Legal Advisor to the UN 
SYG, join him on September 1.  He explained that he needed to 
create an environment where people in Lebanon believe they 
have a responsibility in this process and have trust in the 
Special Tribunal institution.  "Some people have information 
and are keeping quiet," he continued, "They have to decide if 
they want to be part of the problem or part of the solution." 
 He also wants to communicate that those who speak up will be 
protected. 
 
¶15. (C) Addressing the complaints frequently heard in Lebanon 
that the Commission needs to "produce something", Bellemare 
said that there will not be indictments during the life of 
the Commission, nor on the day that the Special Tribunal 
commences.  He spoke of the complicated nature of the 
investigation, stressing that he asked for an extension of 
the Commission's mandate specifically because there is more 
work to be done.  Bellemare said he believes Lebanese 
political figures who ask for more progress are not really 
interested in indictments, but in having made public the 
names of those responsible. 
GRANT