US embassy cable - 03BEIRUT4629

C O N F I D E N T I A L  BEIRUT 004629 
 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/31/2013 
TAGS: PTER, PREL, PGOV, LE 
SUBJECT: LEBANON: INTERIOR MINISTER MURR DISCUSSES 
SECURITY, ELECTORAL ISSUES 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Vincent M. Battle; reasons 1.5 (b), (d). 
 
1.  (C)  Summary:  Ambassador met with Interior Minister 
Elias Murr October 31 to discuss Hizballah interference with 
an embassy motorcade, progress on the McDonalds bombing 
investigation, and the preparation of 
municipalities/electoral laws.  Murr comprehends the 
seriousness of Hizballah interference with an embassy 
motorcade, especially since the convoy was being escorted by 
officers from his Ministry.  Murr said Hizballah officials 
told him the incident resulted from "misbehavior" by its 
personnel -- not Hizballah policy.  With the arrest of a 
Yemeni thought to be the mastermind of the April 5 McDonalds 
bombing, GOL authorities are looking into possible 
al-Qaida/UBL links, including funding connections.  The 
Minister is planning to introduce sweeping changes in a new 
electoral law and to implement electronic voting for the 2005 
parliamentary elections.  End summary. 
 
Hizballah motorcade incident 
---------------------------- 
 
2.  (C)  Ambassador reviewed with Minister Murr the incidents 
of interference with an embassy motorcade in south Lebanon 
October 17, thanking the Minister for provision of an 
Internal Security Forces (ISF) escort for the trip.  He 
expressed Washington and the Embassy's concern and noted that 
we are still awaiting the GOL's official report. 
 
3.  (C)  Minister Murr seemed to grasp, more than any of our 
other GOL interlocutors, the potential danger stemming from 
the second incident in particular, when two Hizballah 
vehicles intercepted the motorcade.  Murr said he spoke 
directly with the ISF officer who serves as liaison officer 
with Hizballah to inform the organization that its actions 
contravened "the strategic position of Lebanon."  Hizballah 
officials later responded to the Minister that the incident 
was the result of "misbehavior" by its operatives on the 
ground, and not any political decision by the organization. 
The Minister conveyed to Ambassador his confidence that there 
will be no similar incidents in the future.  He said he will 
be personally involved in every future request from the 
embassy for security support for embassy travel. 
 
Counter-terrorism: Arrest of UBL associate? 
------------------------------------------- 
 
4.  (C)  The Minister discussed progress on the McDonalds 
bombing investigation, principally related to the recent 
arrest of a Yemeni national, Muammar Abdallah al-Awama (also 
known as Ibn al-Shadid).  He said al-Shadid is still being 
interrogated by Lebanese Armed Forces G-2, and that he does 
not expect al-Awama to be handed over to the military 
tribunal for approximately two months.  (Note:  This will 
delay the tribunal that is hearing the cases of the other 
suspects, which was suspended last week due to al-Awama's 
arrest.  End note.) 
 
5.  (C)  Murr said al-Shadid has links to al-Qaeda associates 
in Yemen and Saudi Arabia.  Lebanese security services are 
investigating the extent of those links, and also will be 
looking into the financing, including from abroad, of the 
McDonalds and other attacks on U.S. franchises.  Murr said 
the GOL believes al-Shadid is the mastermind of all 
organizations linked to UBL in Lebanon, and it will be 
important to see whether, with al-Shadid's arrest, any 
"dormant" al-Qaida operatives take over.  The MOI has at 
least three more names of al-Shadid's associates, who are 
believed to be hiding in the Ain el-Hilweh refugee camp. 
Murr said they GOL would be trying to lure them out in order 
to arrest them. 
 
6.  (C)  Murr noted that attacks on foreign interests in 
Lebanon are generally carried out during the winter months. 
He believes this is because of the large numbers of Gulf 
Arabs visiting Lebanon for tourism during the summer.  In 
addition to plots uncovered that were directed at the 
Ambassador, the Minister said there were plans to target him, 
too, -- at the Ministry, at his private office, and at his 
home. 
 
MOI security plan, prison conditions 
------------------------------------ 
 
7.  (C)  Murr said the Ministry was putting the finishing 
touches on a tough six-month internal security plan to 
address terrorism, organized crime, money laundering and 
narcotics.  He undertook to provide a copy to the Ambassador 
upon completion.  He cited 26,000 arrests since he took 
office in 2000, compared to only 3,000 arrests during the 
period 1990-2000.  Murr admitted that prisons were crowded 
and that prison conditions were not good.  He asserted that 
the International Committee of the Red Cross was welcome to 
visit any MOI prisons at any time, per an MOI decree.  He 
explained that the ICRC had postponed a visit to Roumieh 
prison as part of a protest against the Ministry of Defense's 
refusal to allow the organization to visit military prison 
facilities. 
 
Municipalities, decentralization, and electoral laws 
--------------------------------------------- ------- 
 
8.  (C) The Minister discussed three laws being prepared 
under his supervision: the municipalities, decentralization, 
and electoral laws.  The municipalities law is currently 
being debated in parliament and should pass in about two 
months.  The decentralization law should be submitted to the 
government for approval in about three weeks.  This law would 
abolish the "caza" level between governorates and 
municipalities.  Under the law, there would be 5-6 governors 
in the south, 5-6 governors in the north, four in Mount 
Lebanon, three in the Biq'a, and one in Beirut.  There also 
would be a governing council comprised of governors and 
mayors, each with one vote.  (Note:  The decentralization law 
basically renames the cazas as governorates, breaking up the 
power of the current, smaller number of governors and 
providing greater voice for municipal leaders.  End note.) 
 
9.  (C)  The Minister emphasized that the decentralization 
law is not linked to the parliamentary elections law.  He 
claimed the parliamentary election law being prepared will 
create "an atomic bomb" in Lebanon.  He did not elaborate, 
but said he was "changing everything."  Murr plans to submit 
the law (through the Council of Minister) to parliament and 
"let parliament refuse it," which he said will be difficult 
for the parliamentarians, who are accountable to the people, 
"and the people want change." 
 
10.  (C) Murr revealed that he is planning for electronic 
"e-voting" for the parliamentary elections.  With electronic 
voting, he said, election results will be available as soon 
as the polls close.  This will help preclude allegations of 
tampering, because there will be no time lag between the 
election and the announcement of results. 
 
BATTLE