VZCZCXRO1645
RR RUEHAG RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHDF RUEHIK RUEHKUK RUEHLZ RUEHROV RUEHSR
DE RUEHLB #0087 0211621
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 211621Z JAN 09
FM AMEMBASSY BEIRUT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4038
INFO RUEHEE/ARAB LEAGUE COLLECTIVE
RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE
RUEHVI/AMEMBASSY VIENNA 0068
RUEHUNV/USMISSION UNVIE VIENNA 0011
RHEHNSC/WHITE HOUSE WASHDC
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 3366
RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO 3573
RHMFISS/USCENTCOM SPECIAL HANDLING MACDILL AFB FL
RHEHAAA/NSC WASHDC
RHEBAAA/DEPT OF ENERGY WASHDC
RHMFISS/HQ USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE

UNCLAS BEIRUT 000087 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR NEA/FO, NEA/ELA 
ALSO FOR I/O WARLICK 
P FOR DRUSSELL AND RRANGASWAMY 
USUN FOR GERMAIN/SCHEDLBAUER 
NSC FOR MCDERMOTT 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: AORC ENRG IAEA KNNP KTIA MNUC NPT PARM PGOV
PREL, TRGY, LE 
SUBJECT: LEBANON: SIGNING ADDITIONAL PROTOCOL AGREEMENT 
WITH IAEA 
 
REF: STATE 00322 
 
SUMMARY 
-------- 
 
¶1.  (SBU) Poloff delivered reftel points and text of the USG 
announcement of the U.S.- IAEA "Additional Protocol" 
ratification to Oussama Khachab, Head of the Americas Desk at 
the Lebanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), and Nada Akl, 
First Secretary in the Department of International 
Organizations at the MFA on January 16.  In a January 20 
conversation, Akl told Poloff that she sent reftel points to 
the MFA's Legal Department and Lebanon's Ambassador to the 
IAEA, Ishaya Khoury, to ask their opinions on the topic.  Akl 
said she would send talking points to Foreign Minister Fawzi 
Salloukh after receiving comments from Khoury and the MFA 
Legal Department.  Post recommends USUN Vienna follow up with 
Ambassador Khoury. 
 
¶2.  (SBU) Earlier, in a January 9 meeting, Dr. Bilal Nsouli, 
Head of the Lebanese Atomic Energy Commission, said in his 
opinion Lebanon would sign an Additional Protocol agreement 
with the IAEA.  Nsouli said Lebanon had little reason not to 
sign an Additional Protocol agreement with the IAEA and added 
that signing the agreement would signal additional 
cooperation between Lebanon and the UN, noting that Lebanon 
has signed the majority of UN treaties and agreements related 
to the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons Treaty (NPT).  In 
a follow-up conversation with Nsouli, he noted that he heard 
rumors in the past that Lebanon had not signed the agreement 
because of "political reasons", which we speculate refers to 
the fact that Israel has not signed an Additional Protocol 
agreement with the IAEA. 
SISON