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### Viewing cable 06BEIRUT2703, BRAINSTORMING WITH MARWAN AND NAYLA: HAVE KOFI

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Reference ID | Created | Released | Classification | Origin
--- | --- | --- | --- | ---
06BEIRUT2703 | 2006-08-20 15:19 | 2011-04-08 16:00 | SECRET//NOFORN | Embassy Beirut

`

    VZCZCXRO5344
    OO RUEHAG RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHKUK
    DE RUEHLB #2703/01 2321519
    ZNY SSSSS ZZH
    O 201519Z AUG 06 ZDK
    FM AMEMBASSY BEIRUT
    TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 5153
    INFO RUEHEE/ARAB LEAGUE COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
    RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
    RHMFISS/CDR USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL PRIORITY
    RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY
    RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO PRIORITY 0130

` `

    S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 03 BEIRUT 002703

    SIPDIS

    NOFORN
    SIPDIS

    NSC FOR ABRAMS/DORAN/SINGH/HARDING

    E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/20/2026
    TAGS: PREL KCRM PTER EFIN LE SY IS
    SUBJECT: BRAINSTORMING WITH MARWAN AND NAYLA: HAVE KOFI
    BRING NICOLAS MICHEL WITH HIM

    Classified By: Jeffrey Feltman, Ambassador, per 1.4 (b) and (d).

    SUMMARY
    -------

    ¶1.  (S/NF)  Meeting together with the Ambassador on 8/20,
    Marwan Hamadeh and Nayla Mouawad urged that Kofi Annan bring
    UN/OLA chief Nicolas Michel with him when the UNSYG travels
    to Beirut next week.  Having Michel in town to finalize the
    draft on the Hariri tribunal will put the right spin on
    Annan's visit, they argued, and keep Syria off balance.
    Pointing to a petition by the March 14 majority for a special
    parliamentary session, they said that such a session could be
    used to approve the Hariri tribunal, examine Bank al-Medina
    files, and find other ways to seize the initiative from
    Hizballah and the pro-Syrians.  While admitting that the GOL
    must do better on reconstruction, they said that Hizballah's
    big advantage is its ability to hand out cash, which the GOL
    cannot and should not do.  They hoped that the USG would
    press the Gulf Arabs, however, to pass some cash to March 14
    politicians to use on local patronage to compete with
    Hizballah.  No one, they said, will remember who built a
    bridge, but people will remember who gave them cash.  After
    Mouawad left, Hamadeh also said that the Lebanese police was
    interrogating a Syrian businessman who seemed to have been
    tasked with discrediting UNIIIC Commissioner Serge Brammertz.
     End summary.

    PLEASE, GET THE ARABS
    TO GIVE US CASH FOR HAND-OUTS
    -----------------------------

    ¶2.  (S/NF)  On 8/20, the Ambassador met with Minister of
    Telecommunications Marwan Hamadeh and Minister of Social
    Affairs Nayla Mouawad.  While the purpose of the meeting was
    for the Ambassador to press them to help on UNSCR
    1701-related issues (a subject on which the two ministers
    agreed), the meeting quickly became a brainstorming session
    about how the March 14 movement can retake the political
    initiative away from Hizballah and Hassan Nasrallah.  Given
    Lebanon's traditional patronage politics, Hamadeh and Mouawad
    were most concerned about getting money in the hands of March
    14 political leaders to spend on relief and reconstruction --
    not at the expense of GOL and international donor efforts,
    they said, but as something additional that people will
    remember.  Hamadeh noted that he and Druse leader Walid
    Jumblatt would travel to Saudi Arabia this week, and he hoped
    the U.S. would put in a good word with the Saudis to "give
    Walid three or four million dollars" to keep the Druse on the
    side of March 14.

    CALLING FOR AN EXTRAORDINARY
    PARLIAMENTARY SESSION
    ----------------------------

    ¶3.  (C/NF)  The Ambassador commented that it seemed strange,
    when two-thirds of Lebanon did not share Hizballah's vision
    for the country, that the March 14 forces could not retake
    the initiative even without cash.  Claiming to be trying,
    Mouawad and Hamadeh showed the Ambassador a parliamentary
    petition being circulated among the 71 March 14
    parliamentarians, asking President Emile Lahoud to request
    Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri to open an extraordinary
    session of parliament.  It is a "scandal" that Lebanon went
    through a war and the parliament maintained its summer recess
    (until the third week of September), Mouawad noted.  They
    predicted that Berri would have no choice but to open the
    extraordinary session, and the March 14 MPs will use the
    extraordinary session "to make the pro-Syrians
    uncomfortable," Hamadeh said.

    HARIRI TRIBUNAL:  GET KOFI
    TO BRING NICOLAS MICHEL WITH HIM
    --------------------------------

    ¶4.  (S/NF)  The Ambassador noted the USG interest in moving
    ahead quickly on establishing the "special tribunal with
    international character" to try suspects in the Rafiq Hariri
    murder case or those related to the Hariri murder.  Hamadeh
    and Mouawad agreed.  Our impression, the Ambassador said, was
    that action now rests with the Lebanese to respond to the
    UN/OLA draft agreement on the tribunal.  After conferring
    with Minister of Justice Charles Rizk by phone, Hamadeh
    responded that the Lebanese are ready to receive Nicolas
    Michel (from UN/OLA) to work out the final details, at which

    BEIRUT 00002703  002 OF 003

    point the cabinet majority and parliamentary majority (in the
    anticipated extraordinary session) can approve the tribunal.
    The Ambassador asked whether the March 14 majority was ready
    to confront a cabinet walk-out by the Hizballah ministers
    over the tribunal question.  After all, the Ambassador noted,
    the Hizballahis seem to be using "sovereignty" as the excuse
    for foot-dragging over UNSCR 1701 implementation, and they
    can claim that the tribunal, too, is an infringement on
    Lebanon's supposedly sacred sovereignty.  Mouawad and Hamadeh
    both agreed that the cabinet majority would force the issue.

    ¶5.  (S/NF)  Hamadeh said that it was important to get Nicolas
    Michel to Beirut "immediately," to put the resurgent Syrians
    off-balance "and make them think twice about killing any of
    us."  Thinking outloud, Hamadeh then said, "Have Kofi (Annan)
    bring him with him."  His idea coming together as he spoke,
    Hamadeh said that the problem with the UNSYG's visit a week
    hence revolves around the visuals.  Annan will obliged to
    meet President Emile Lahoud.  Annan will go to Damascus.
    Annan will smile and say happy things to the cameras.  "He
    won't be as tough as he should."  But if Annan brings Michel
    with him "and leaves him in Beirut to put the final touches
    on the tribunal agreement while Kofi goes to see Bashar" will
    leave an entirely different impression.  "Brilliant!"  Nayla
    shouted, slapping Marwan's hand; "tu a raison!"  Hamadeh and
    Mouawad also argued that it is important that Annan try to
    project as sober message as possible about Iran and Syria's
    role in arms smuggling, with the public message starting even
    before the UNSYG departs for the region.

    BANK AL-MEDINA AND OIL-FOR-FOOD:
    WAYS TO BRING DOWN LAHOUD?
    --------------------------------

    ¶6.  (S/NF)  Mouawad and Hamadeh raised the familiar subject
    of ridding the country of Emile Lahoud.  They had no original
    ideas but suggested (as each has independently) that the
    notorious Bank al-Medina files be opened up and the
    Oil-for-Food scandal be mined for dirt on Lahoud.  Mouawad
    tried to put the USG in the lead on the Bank al-Medina files,
    saying that we should use the excuse of money-laundering and
    terrorist financing to ask the GOL for the files.  The
    Ambassador said that the USG had no good reason to ask now
    for Bank al-Medina files, and this seemed to be another
    example of the Lebanese trying to shift responsibility to
    foreigners.  And once the Lebanese succeed in shifting
    responsibility for something unpleasant to foreigners, they
    then don't want to listen to what the foreigners say.
    Hamadeh agreed and said that the March 14 majority should
    consider whether the extraordinary parliamentary session they
    hoped to hold could have committee hearings on Bank
    al-Medina.  Some March 14 politicians, however, may be caught
    up in the widespread scandal themselves, he cautioned.

    ¶7.  (S/NF)  As for Oil-for-Food, Mouawad and Hamadeh thought
    that this was a promising area to examine.  But Hamadeh
    claimed that trying to go through Oil-for-Food reports
    looking for connections to Emile Lahoud is a full-time job.
    The Ambassador commented that surely Saad Hariri could pay a
    full-time researcher.  Hamadeh responded that "it would be
    better if you did it, quietly.  You have all sorts of reasons
    to be able to look at the UN files.  We don't.  You have
    people who know how to use those files, because they've been
    working with them already."

    TELECOM SERVICES RESTORED,
    THANKS TO CENTRAL AUTHORITIES
    -----------------------------

    ¶8.  (S/NF)  As for other ideas to put the pro-Syrians in
    Lebanon off-balance, they both pressed on providing, quickly,
    equipment and ammunition for both the Lebanese Armed Forces
    and the Internal Security Forces (national police).  The
    Ambassador added that it was important for the GOL to get its
    own act together on reconstruction priorities and
    coordination, which they agreed has been handled poorly.
    Hamadeh noted that, as of that morning, phone service had
    been restored to all parts of the south except Jezzine, all
    because of his ministry's work.  This, he said, will be
    publicized widely.

    AND THE NEED FOR CASH ARISES AGAIN
    ----------------------------------

    ¶9.  (S/NF)  But speaking of reconstuction opened the subject

    BEIRUT 00002703  003 OF 003

    of money again, with both of them arguing that the Lebanese
    will remember who handed out cash, not who built bridges.
    "We are whores in that way," Marwan sad, shaking his head.
    Since the U.S. and European governments cannot dispense with
    accountability, perhaps the Gulf Arabs could be asked to
    help, they said, turning the conversation back to where it
    began.  After all, Hamadeh said, the Gulf Arabs are both
    furious and frightened by the speeched of Bashar al-Asad and
    Hassan Nasrallah.  "We can worry about reform and accounting
    later," Marwan said; "we are fighting a war for our
    existence, and the enemy's best weapon is cash.  We have to
    move both cash and projects, but cash now can more more
    quickly."

    SARG (ALLEGEDLY) SENDS AGENT
    TO DISCREDIT BRAMMERTZ EFFORTS
    ------------------------------

    ¶10.  (S/NF)  Raising a different subject after Mouawad left
    to meet with UN envoys Terje Roed-Larsen and Vijay Nambiar,
    Hamadeh said that the ISF had two days earlier arrested a
    Syrian who admitted being sent to Beirut by the SARG.  While
    the details were still emerging from the ongoing ISF
    investigation, XXXXXXXXXXXX cited former Syrian VP Abdulhalim
    Khaddam's name in asking to see Hamadeh to hand over some
    important documents.  Suspicious, Hamadeh got a message to
    Khaddam, who said that XXXXXXXXXXXX is XXXXXXXXXXXX representative in Damascus but also connected to Syrian military intelligence.
    When XXXXXXXXXXXX arrived for the appointment with Hamadeh,
    he was arrested and subsequently admitted ("under vigorous
    interrogation," Hamadeh said) to carrying false documents
    related to the Hariri assassination.

    ¶11.  (S/NF)  Hamadeh said that he assumed XXXXXXXXXXXX was trying to lure UNIIIC Commissioner Brammertz on a wild goose chase
    in the hopes of embarrassing Brammertz in the same way that
    the witness Zuhair Saddiq had discredited part of Detlev
    Mehlis' work.  One of the more interesting tidbits out of the
    XXXXXXXXXXXX investigation, Hamadeh said, was the revelation that
    an XXXXXXXXXXXX store adjacent to XXXXXXXXXXXX is owned by the same family.  Hamadeh guessed that the electronics store is probably a front for a Syrian intelligence unit of some kind.

    COMMENT
    -------

    ¶12.  (S/NF)  Mouawad and Hamadeh are two of the more zealous
    and vocal members of the March 14 majority, and neither are
    prone to flinching.  They are also used to playing in
    traditional Lebanese politics, which explains why concerns
    with cash loom so large in their minds.  Frankly, it seems to
    us to be a reasonable investment (assuming someone comes
    forward), if a couple of million dollars helps Walid Jumblatt
    maintain the Druse on the March 14 side rather than see them
    start to shift toward the pro-Syrian Druse leader Talal
    Arslan.  But what we liked best from this meeting was the
    suggestion that Kofi Annan bring Nicolas Michel with him to
    Beirut:  Annan may be presenting his visit as part of UNSCR
    1701 implementation, but Michel's presence would remind
    everyone -- including in Damascus -- that the recent fighting
    has not distracted us from the need to bring Rafiq Hariri's
    killers to justice.
    FELTMAN

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