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### Viewing cable 09BEIRUT818, LEBANON: PM SINIORA TO PETRAEUS: PUSH SYRIA TO GET

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

`

    VZCZCXYZ0000
    PP RUEHWEB

    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

`