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R 121315Z MAY 09
FM AMEMBASSY BEIRUT
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INFO RUEHEE/ARAB LEAGUE COLLECTIVE
RHEHNSC/WHITE HOUSE WASHDC
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 3749
RHEHAAA/NSC WASHDC

UNCLAS BEIRUT 000527 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR NEA/FO, NEA/ELA 
ALSO FOR IO A/S BRIMMER 
P FOR DRUSSELL, RRANGASWAMY 
USUN FOR WOLFF/GERMAIN/SCHEDLBAUER 
NSC FOR SHAPIRO, MCDERMOTT 
DRL/NESA FOR WHITMAN, BARGHOUT 
INL FOR A/S JOHNSON 
OVP FOR HMUSTAFA 
STATE PASS USAID FOR LAUDATO/NANDY/SCOTT 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PHUM KDEM LE
SUBJECT: LEBANON: NDI DELEGATION HEADED BY MADELEINE 
ALBRIGHT VISITS BEIRUT 
 
REF: A. BEIRUT 263 
     ¶B. BEIRUT 247 
 
SUMMARY 
------- 
 
¶1.  (SBU) Former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright 
visited Beirut May 5-8 as the co-chair of a high-profile team 
(with former Canadian Prime Minister Joe Clark) to assess 
preparations for the June 7 parliamentary elections on behalf 
of the National Democratic Institute (NDI).  The delegation 
met with President Sleiman, PM Siniora, Speaker Berri, 
Parliament Majority Leader Saad Hariri, Interior Minister 
Ziyad Baroud, Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun, and 
Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea during the visit.  The 
group also met ministers, MPs, and various other leaders from 
the women's, civil society, and international communities 
during a May 6 reception hosted by the Ambassador.  The 
delegation held a press conference on May 7 (NDI statement 
contained in para 11).  End summary. 
 
GOL MAKING GOOD EFFORTS 
ON ELECTION PLANNING 
----------------------- 
 
¶2.  (SBU) Secretary Albright co-led a high-profile team with 
former Canadian Prime Minister Joe Clark to assess 
preparations for the June 7 parliamentary elections on behalf 
of NDI.  In a May 7 press conference, former U.S. Secretary 
of State Madeleine Albright held a Q and A session with 
journalists concerning the National Democratic Institute's 
(NDI) upcoming mission to observe the June 7 parliamentary 
elections. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) During the press conference, Albright briefed 
journalists on NDI's pre-election assessment.  In the 
statement, Albright praised the GOL for recent and positive 
electoral reforms that represent improvements over past 
elections.  This includes forming an election supervisory 
committee, establishing campaign finance and media 
regulations, and accrediting domestic and international 
observers.  Albright also praised Minister of Interior Ziyad 
Baroud's impartial planning of the elections. 
 
NDI CRITICIZES 
HIZBALLAH'S WEAPONS 
------------------- 
 
¶4.  (SBU) However, Albright also stated some of NDI's 
concerns with the manner in which the elections were being 
prepared.  In particular, Albright expressed the NDI team's 
alarm about the presence of weapons, noting that NDI's 
evaluation of the Lebanese electoral system faces challenges 
in the wake of the presence of arms in the possession of 
political parties.  She added that the presence of arms also 
creates challenges for international observation delegations. 
 Albright noted that while the Lebanese Armed Forces would 
keep peace during the elections, "one party possessed 
military and armed strength which is not under state 
control," a reference to Hizballah's arsenal. 
 
¶5.  (SBU) Albright also expressed the delegation's 
apprehension over the non-completion of the formation of the 
Constitutional Council.  The Council will play a critical 
role in the elections, as it provides the only legal recourse 
for adjudicating challenges to the electoral results-- Refs A 
and B.  (Note:  Parliament underwent a contentious, 
politicized process to name its five members, and the cabinet 
has not yet nominated, or even discussed, the five remaining 
appointments.  End note.)  NDI cited the need for the 
Ministry of Interior to educate voters before the June 7 
election day. 
 
PRESS REACTIONS TO ALBRIGHT VISIT 
--------------------------------- 
 
¶6.  (SBU) Most newspapers covered Albright's visit to various 
Lebanese politicians, in addition to the joint press 
 
conference.  Pro-opposition Al-Akhbar newspaper noted that 
Albright repeated several times that she did not represent 
the USG.  Al-Akhbar also reported that the USG will decide 
its policies based on the results of the elections. 
 
¶7.  (SBU) Moderate, anti-Syrian, An-Nahar reported that 
Secretary Albright indicated that NDI is looking for as much 
transparency as possible in the election process.  An-Nahar 
highlighted Secretary Albright's emphasis that the Lebanese 
should have the right to determine their own future. 
An-Nahar also highlighted her praise for the steps that were 
taken by the Lebanese community towards political reform, 
particularly what the Boutros Commission did to highlight the 
representational quality of elected members of parliament. 
 
ALBRIGHT MEETS POLITICAL ELITE 
------------------------------ 
 
¶8.  (SBU) The delegation met with President Sleiman, PM 
Siniora, Speaker Berri, Parliament Majority Leader Saad 
Hariri, Interior Minister Ziyad Baroud, Free Patriotic 
Movement leader Michel Aoun, and Lebanese Forces leader Samir 
Geagea during the three-day visit.  In a May 6 reception 
hosted by the Ambassador, Albright met with a number of 
Lebanese ministers including, Information Minister Tarek 
Mitri, Justice Minister Ibrahim Najjar, Education Minister 
Bahia Hariri, and Finance Minister Mohammed Chatah.  Albright 
also met at the reception MPs Misbah Ahdab (independent, 
pro-March 14),  Anwar al-Khalil (Amal, March 8), Marwan 
Hamade (Progressive Socialist Party, March 14), Hagop 
Pakradounian (Tashnaq, pro-Aoun).  Civil society 
representatives also attended the reception including Ziyad 
Abda Samad, Secretary General of the Lebanese Association for 
Democratic Elections (LADE); Dr. Khalil Gebrara, former head 
of the Lebanese Transparency Association and current member 
of the GOL's Supervisory Electoral Commission; and members of 
the Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI)funded Youth 
Shadow Government. 
 
DIPLOMATS WIL NOT RECEIVE 
ACCREDITATION TO MONITOR ELECTIONS 
---------------------------------- 
 
¶9. (SBU) In a May 6 conference attended by the Ambassador and 
other foreign Chiefs of Mission, and hosted by the United 
Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon (UNSCOL), Michael 
Williams, the Director of the newly established Election 
Observation Unit at the Ministry of Interior, Makram Ouweis, 
briefed donors on the role of the unit and its work so far. 
Ouweis said that foreign diplomats will not be accredited to 
enter polling stations on June 7.  Only those diplomats who 
are officially part of a high level delegation of foreign 
parliamentarians and ministers, or members of an NGO such as 
NDI or Carter Center will be accredited, he said.  Last 
minute, high-level delegations, can receive accreditation on 
a case-by-case basis, according to Ouweis. 
 
¶10. (SBU) He added that all accredited monitors will have to 
submit individual applications and sign a Code of Ethics 
pledge to receive official accreditation from the Ministry. 
The Observation unit is planning to accredit more than 3000 
domestic observers, 200 international observers, and 200 
media representatives.  The international observation 
missions that have applied for accreditation so far, include 
delegations from NDI, the Carter Center, the EU, the Arab 
League, and Turkey. 
 
TEXT OF OFFICIAL NDI STATEMENT 
------------------------------ 
 
¶11. (U) Begin text:  In one month, the Lebanese people will 
go to the polls to elect a new parliament.  They will do so 
under a new electoral law and administration agreed upon by 
all political contestants.  This represents a significant 
step toward greater transparency and confidence in the 
process and the development of Lebanon and its institutions 
as a sovereign state.  Too often Lebanon has been defined by 
events and actors outside the country's borders.  The 
 
National Democratic Institute is part of a growing network of 
friends of Lebanon who agree that Lebanon's people alone 
should determine the country's future. 
 
Lebanon's history and sectarian divisions have given rise to 
a unique electoral system based on an allocation of seats 
along confessional lines.  It includes elements of 
competition, and, when conducted peacefully, can lead to 
outcomes accepted as representative by voters and political 
competitors.  Over the past several years there has been a 
growing movement for political reform led by civil society 
groups. This effort led to the establishment of the Butros 
Commission, which recommended major changes in the electoral 
system, including proportional representation, that could, 
over time, lead to strengthened institutions of 
representative government. 
 
Some reforms were adopted by parliament and a number of 
improvements were approved for this election cycle, which, it 
is hoped, will pave the way for broader changes after the 
upcoming polls.  This is a process we encourage.  Recent and 
positive electoral reforms that represent improvements over 
past elections include the following: 
 
- Formation of an election supervisory committee.  The 
Supervisory Committee on the Electoral Campaign (SCEC) falls 
short of an independent electoral commission but sets an 
important precedent as an intermediary body that could serve 
as a precursor to such a commission as was the case in Mexico 
in the 1990s.  It is responsible for ensuring the 
implementation of Chapters 5 and 6 of the electoral law, 
which stipulate campaign finance and media regulations. 
 
- Impartial administration.  The Minister of the Interior, 
who is ultimately charged with the administration of the 
elections, was in our discussions widely viewed as impartial, 
professional and committed to administering a transparent and 
credible process. 
 
- Campaign finance and media regulations.  Newly-enacted 
campaign finance regulations, although diluted by significant 
loopholes, set a key precedent by mandating expenditure 
limits.  Meanwhile, media regulations seek to ensure the 
candidates, fair and equal access to all media outlets. 
While questions remain regarding enforcement of the new 
rules, most parties and candidates have welcomed the changes. 
 
- Accreditation of domestic and international observers.  The 
June 7 elections will be the first in Lebanon's history in 
which the Council of Ministers issued a decree allowing the 
Minister of Interior to accredit international observers. 
The electoral law also allows domestic election observation. 
This initiative brings an added degree of transparency to the 
process and helps to build confidence in the elections by 
Lebanese citizens. 
 
At the same time, assessing the Lebanese electoral system in 
relation to international norms and standards presents a 
challenge for international observation.  The Lebanese army 
is charged with maintaining order around the elections, but 
one of the political contestants maintains a major armed 
force not under the control of the state.  Other parties also 
possess arms of various sizes and capabilities.  Given the 
allocation of parliamentary seats by district and along 
confessional lines, and a "winner take all" majoritarian 
system, the results are all but predetermined in an 
overwhelming majority of the races. 
 
The lack of pre-printed ballots can compromise secrecy of the 
vote and strengthens the power of political elites creating 
the opportunity for deal-making and undue influence of 
voters.  Moreover, the drawing of district lines has led to 
large discrepancies in the number of voters per district and 
therefore to unequal weight given to each vote.  Voters 
register and vote in their ancestral villages rather than 
their place of residence, requiring them to travel long 
distances and, in some cases to areas now dominated by 
another confessional group.  Moreover, women are required to 
 
vote in the ancestral home of their husbands.  All of the 
above-mentioned issues have been part of the Lebanese 
electoral reform debate. While further reforms can be 
considered following the upcoming polls, there are a number 
of steps that could be taken between now and June 7 to 
further enhance the credibility of the elections: 
 
- The ability to challenge and adjudicate election results. 
According to Lebanese law, the Constitutional Council 
(comprised of 10 members-five elected by parliament and five 
appointed by the Council of Ministers) is charged with 
accrediting the entire process through resolving voting 
disputes after the polls. However, the Council has yet to be 
formed, with many observers concerned that it will not be 
established by election day. The delegation hopes that a 
means will be found between now and June 7 to break the 
existing political deadlock and that the Council will be 
established and fulfill its mandate. 
 
- Logistical and security issues. Holding elections in a 
single day rather than on consecutive weekends is one of the 
newly-enacted reforms; however it entails major logistical 
challenges. The election authorities recognize that given the 
large-scale movement of voters around the elections and 
closely contested races in certain districts, plans must be 
put in place to ensure adequate voter mobility and security. 
Mobilizing an estimated 30,000 security forces (both the army 
and police) will require significant management and 
coordination efforts by the Defense and Interior ministries. 
The delegation also hopes that the Interior Ministry will 
take all appropriate measures under its authority against 
those who may violate electoral law during this critical 
pre-election period. Voter security and a peaceful election 
environment can be further enhanced with the adoption by the 
political parties of a code of conduct ) an initiative now 
being advanced by the Minister of the Interior. 
 
- Voter education. NDI's long-term observers report a need 
for greater information for candidates, parties and the 
public on the specifics of the new election law and note that 
there is confusion about the role of district and local 
officials in the election process. The delegation hopes that 
between now and election day, the election authorities could 
expand the education campaign they launched earlier to better 
inform election workers and voters about new regulations. 
End text. 
 
SISON