LEBANON: PM SINIORA TO PETRAEUS: PUSH SYRIA TO GET BACK IN ARAB FOLD

Reference ID 09BEIRUT818
Date 2009-07-20 14:02
Classification CONFIDENTIAL
Origin Embassy Beirut


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DE RUEHLB #0818/01 2011455
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 201455Z JUL 09
FM AMEMBASSY BEIRUT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 5368
INFO RUEHEE/ARAB LEAGUE COLLECTIVE
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 3468
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 3995
RHMCSUU/CDR USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL
RHEHAAA/NSC WASHDC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC


C O N F I D E N T I A L BEIRUT 000818

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR NEA/FO, NEA/ELA
ALSO FOR IO A/S BRIMMER
P FOR DRUSSELL, RRANGASWAMY
DRL/NESA FOR WHITMAN, BARGHOUT
PARIS FOR JMILLER
USUN FOR WOLFF/GERMAIN/SCHEDLBAUER
NSC FOR SHAPIRO, MCDERMOTT
DOD/OSD FOR FLOURNOY/KAHL/DALTON
OVP FOR HMUSTAFA

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/19/2019
TAGS: PREL PGOV PINR PTER MASS MARR MOPPS LE SY IR
PK, AF
SUBJECT: LEBANON: PM SINIORA TO PETRAEUS: PUSH SYRIA TO GET
BACK IN ARAB FOLD

Classified By: Ambassador Michele J. Sison for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).

SUMMARY
--------

¶1. (C) Caretaker Prime Minister Fouad Siniora told visiting
Commander General of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) General
David Petraeus and the Ambassador June 30 that he was "quite
satisfied" with the outcome of Lebanon's June 7 parliamentary
elections. Siniora said that the Lebanese had voted for the
state and its institutions and confirmed that Lebanon could
practice its democracy without outside interference -- if
given the opportunity. He also thanked the United States for
sustained military assistance. General Petraeus
congratulated Lebanon on the peaceful conduct of the
elections and expressed hope that a cabinet would be formed
soon. Siniora continued that Lebanon was encouraged by and
supportive of President Obama's efforts to reach a
comprehensive Middle East Peace, but cautioned that
Palestinian resettlement should not come at the expense of
Lebanon. Siniora encouraged the U.S. to push Syria to
respect the sovereignty of other states (namely Lebanon) as a
way to bring Syria back into the Arab fold, rather than
continuing to align itself with Iran. General Petraeus hoped
that the obvious cracks in the Iranian system (illustrated by
the demonstrations that followed the Iranian elections) would
distract Iran from malign ambitions in the region. He also
briefed Siniora on U.S. military assistance in Pakistan and
Afghanistan. End summary.

¶2. (SBU) Meeting General Petraeus at his downtown Beirut
residence, Siniora was accompanied by his senior advisor Rola
Noureddine. General Petraeus and the Ambassador were
accompanied by Colonel Bjarne (Michael) Iverson, Executive
Officer; Colonel Mike Bell, Director - Commander's
Initiatives Group; Sadi Othman, Cultural Advisor and
Translator; Ali Khedery, Advisor; Lieutenant Colonel Dave
Wilson, Lebanon Desk Officer, Embassy Defense Attache
Lieutenant Colonel James Lantz, Office of Defense Cooperation
Chief Colonel Joshua Berisford and an Embassy notetaker.

LEBANON: A "MODEL"
FOR THE REGION
-----------------

¶3. (C) Caretaker Prime Minister Fouad Siniora welcomed the
one-day visit of the Commanding General of U.S. Central
Command (CENTCOM) General David Petraeus to Beirut on June
¶30. Siniora expressed his thanks for sustained U.S. military
assistance to Lebanon and asserted that U.S. security
assistance had contributed to the positive outcome of the
June 7 Lebanese parliamentary elections. Siniora said he was
"quite satisfied" that the majority March 14 coalition had
shown that its majority was decisive and not "fictitious," as
it had been described by others after the previous elections
in 2005. He described the electoral outcome as vote for the
state and its institutions. Siniora said that although
Lebanon was not the most important country in the world and
despite minor irregularities in the conduct of the elections,
Lebanon had shown that it could be a model of diversity and
democracy -- without outside interference -- in the region.

¶4. (C) General Petraeus congratulated Siniora on winning his
own electoral campaign and the Lebanese people for conducting
peaceful elections. In addition, he expressed hope that the
new cabinet would be formed soon. Siniora predicted the
government formation would likely "take some time" because of
debate about "blocking third" veto power for the opposition.

MIDDLE EAST PEACE:
NOT AT THE EXPENSE
OF LEBANON
------------------

¶5. (C) Siniora said that Lebanon was encouraged by and

supportive of President Obama's commitment to achieving a
comprehensive Middle East Peace. He said the U.S.
administration's recognition of the centrality of the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict was an opportunity to push the
Arab Peace Initiative forward and to finally achieve a
resolution. The Israelis, however, were being uncooperative,
he accused. In his June 14 speech, Israeli PM Benjamin
Netanyahu had said "yes" to a two-state solution with but
added "a thousand no's," Siniora analyzed. The ultimate fate
of Palestinian refugees, could not come at the expense of
Lebanon, Siniora cautioned. (Note: Lebanon has 12 Palestinian
rfugee camps. The GOL maintains that the Palestinins
should have the "right of return" and is agaist permanent
resettlement ("tawteen") in Lebanon. End note.)

SYRIA
-----

¶6. (C) Syria, Siniora said, has geopolitical significance.
He said Lebanon desired a mutually respectful relationship
with Syria and lauded the establishment of diplomatic
relations between Lebanon and Syria as a good first step.
However, other issues, such as border delineation and the
presence of PFLP-GC military camps, supported by Syria, on
the border, remain. Siniora commented on the signs of
increased U.S. engagement with Syria, but he advised the
United States to be careful not to give any rewards to Syria
without Syria taking action first. Most importantly, the
U.S. should not allow Syria -- or other states in the region
-- to use Lebanon as a platform or battleground; engagement
with Syria should not come at the expense of Lebanon, Siniora
said.

¶7. (C) General Petraeus assured Siniora that the U.S.
administration understood Lebanon's concerns. He told
Siniora that Syrian President Bashar Asad had invited him to
visit several times, but the time was not yet appropriate.
Syria, he added, continues to allow Al Qaeda-affiliated
facilitation networks to operate from its territory and allow
the transit of suicide bombers into Iraq. General Petraeus
added that the U.S. would like to see Syria return to the
Arab world and develop closer ties to the western world,
rather than continue to align itself with Iran.

IRAN
----

¶8. (C) On Iran, General Petraeus said that the crisis
following Iran's June 12 presidential election had revealed
significant cracks in the Iranian system. He said the
announced outcome of the election and subsequent
demonstrations showed that the "urban street" and the "young
street" were not supportive of Iranian Supreme Leader
Ayatollah Khamenei. Candidly, the U.S. would like these
events to distract Iran for awhile from its other ambitions,
such as pursuing its nuclear program, General Petraeus said.
Although, it was too early to determine whether the current
crisis had any significant impact on Iran's ability to
support Hamas, Hizballah, or limit its ability to train and
support foreign fighters in Iraq, he added. Siniora agreed
that there were definite cracks in the Iranian system and the
internal divisions should be exploited. However, Siniora
warned against Israel taking any military action against Iran
saying such action would only make the regional situation
worse.

¶9. (C) General Petraeus responded that it was not the U.S.
desire to see outside force used against Iran. Nonetheless,
he observed, there was a phenomenon in the Gulf states where
leaders were worried someone would strike Iran's nuclear
weapons program, while also worrying that someone would not.
Iran, he continued, had become CENTCOM's best recruiting
tool, and the number of partnerships and U.S. military
assistance agreements with Arab partners in the Gulf had
increased significantly.



PAKISTAN AND
AFGHANISTAN
------------

¶10. (C) Turning to other international developments, Siniora
said he had heard a rumor that Pakistan was ready to sell
some of its nuclear stock to other countries. General
Petraeus responded that this was almost certainly a rumor,
but he refused to discount the possibility that Gulf states
may "start shopping" if Iran acquired a nuclear weapon
capability. He added that during his recent visit to
Pakistan, it was clear that for the first time the Pakistani
military viewed the Taliban and other extremist groups as an
existential threat to Pakistan. The Pakistani people,
General Petraeus continued, were hugely supportive of its
military's efforts to fight against this extremist threat.
There were some early signs of some success from Pakistani
operations.

¶11. (C) In Afghanistan, the U.S. was increasing its troop
levels by 38,000 from the beginning of 2009 and doubling the
number of its helicopters, General Petraeus said. The war in
Afghanistan would be tough, and not easily won. One key will
be the ability of the Afghan government to "step up" to
provide governance and be seen to serve the people in areas
that have been cleared by Coalition and Afghan forces..
Afghanistan's presidential election was scheduled for August
20, General Petraeus added. It was likely, but not
guaranteed that current Afghan President Hamid Karzai would
win, he predicted.

¶12. (U) CENTCOM Commander General Petraeus has cleared this
message.
SISON

Source: Wikileaks