US embassy cable - 05PARIS1484

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 PARIS 001484 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/07/2015 
TAGS: PREL, SY, LE, FR 
SUBJECT: GOF SUPPORTS U.S. LINE ON FULL, IMMEDIATE SYRIAN 
WITHDRAWAL FROM LEBANON 
 
REF: A. STATE 039018 
 
     B. PARIS 1401 
     C. PARIS 1366 
     D. PARIS 1268 
 
Classified By: DCM Alex Wolff, reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
1. (C) Summary: MFA officials stressed agreement with U.S. 
views on seeking full and immediate Syrian withdrawal from 
Lebanon, but voiced caution on Hizballah.  We note that 
French public statements on Syrian withdrawal hedge slightly 
on the question of full withdrawal before elections and the 
French reaction to Bashar al-Asad's March 5 speech was less 
negative than that of the U.S.  A March 7 joint Franco-German 
statement on Lebanon called for withdrawal of Syrian troops 
and security services "as soon as possible."  Meanwhile, MFA 
officials are not commenting on a March 6 press report that a 
former head of Syrian Military Intelligence recently visited 
France to present information on French hostage in Iraq 
Florence Aubenas.  End summary. 
 
2.  (C) DCM raised ref (a) points with FM Barnier's Cabinet 
Director Pierre Vimont March 6, which we followed up  March 7 
with MFA DAS-equivalent for Levant Affairs Christian Jouret. 
Vimont noted that there had been a conversation earlier in 
the day on the general subject between the NSC and Elysee, 
and undertook to pass our request on.  He also cited French 
concern about Hizballah's planned demonstration in Beirut 
March 8.  Jouret reported that the GoF fully agreed with our 
message that Asad's March 5 speech was insufficient, though 
an MFA declaration issued the same day (text in para 5) did 
not exactly say so publicly.  The GoF agreed that Syria's 
rhetoric should be followed by action, and that withdrawal 
should begin immediately and be complete by the time 
elections begin, to include all Syrian military intelligence 
(SMI) personnel as well.  He confirmed that the GoF had 
reinforced the need for a full and immediate withdrawal with 
Syrian Deputy FM Muallem, while President Chirac had 
discussed the issue by pbone with President Mubarak over the 
weekend, and would continue to press the point with other 
European and Arab interlocutors.  (Note: Chirac and President 
Schroeder issued a joint statement, text in para 5, calling 
for full withdrawal of Syrian troops and security services 
from Lebanon "as soon as possible," on the margins of a 
summit meeting in Germany.  End note.)   It was clear, 
according to Jouret, that Bashar al-Asad was under pressure 
and knew he was in a grave situation; therefore, this was not 
the moment for the international community to relent. 
 
3.  (C) The one point Jouret questioned was our reference to 
forming "a united front" against third parties seeking to 
disrupt efforts to achieve peace and exercise political will, 
saying he was unsure what the U.S. meant by this reference or 
whether France would be supportive.  Poloff explained that we 
must remain vigilant and unified in rejecting any attempts to 
disrupt or use violence to destabilize the opposition, 
especially as Syria was seeking to mobilize pro-Syrian 
demonstrations and with Hizballah's plans to demonstrate on 
March 8.  Jouret agreed on the need to be alert to the 
possibility to violence and said it was an open question 
whether it would be used to suppress the opposition.  On 
Hizballah, he commented that its statements that it was not 
against the opposition had been "relatively encouraging" and 
showed that the movement had some political sensitivity, 
although the planned demonstrations tomorrow remained a 
worrisome development. 
 
4. (U) We asked Jouret about a press report in the March 6 
French newspaper "Journal de Dimanche," citing an "unnamed 
Near Eastern source" as reporting that former Syrian Military 
Intelligence Major-General Hassan Khalil had visited Paris 
for three days around February 25, to present information 
about French journalist Florence Aubenas, held hostage in 
Iraq since January 5 (ref b).  Jouret said he had not heard 
of any such visit and was not aware of the article, and 
stressed that he had no involvement in the Aubenas case. 
(Comment: The article contained apparent inaccuracies, such 
as failing to note that Khalil was replaced February 14 by 
President Asad's brother-in-law, Asif Shawkat, for whom the 
article said Khalil was the "right hand man."  End comment.) 
The MFA spokesperson offered no comment, but did not deny the 
Khalil story, when asked about it at the March 7 daily press 
briefing. 
 
5.  (U) The following are informal translations of the text 
of the MFA statement issued March 5, shortly after the Asad 
speech, and the March 7 Franco-German Declaration on Lebanon 
issued on the margins of the Chirac-Schroeder summit in 
Bloomberg, Germany: 
 
Begin text of March 5 MFA statement: We take note of the 
announcement by the Syrian President of his decision to apply 
UNSCR 1559.  We expect therefore that he will withdraw 
entirely his troops and intelligence services from Lebanon as 
soon as possible.  We also await support without reservations 
from the Syrian and Lebanese authorities for the UN 
commission of inquiry on the assassination of former Prime 
Minister Rafik Hariri.  We wish for the rapid formation of a 
Lebanese government and the holding of fair and transparent 
elections, under the observation of international observers. 
We have confidence in the capacity of the Lebanese people to 
unite and decide for themselves freely. End text. 
 
Begin text of March 7 Franco-German Declaration on Lebanon: 
Germany and France reaffirm their attachment to the 
independence, sovereignty, and democracy of Lebanon. We take 
note of the announcement by the Syrian President of his 
decision to apply UNSCR 1559.  We expect Syria to withdraw 
entirely its troops and security services from Lebanon as 
soon as possible.  It is well understood that we will be 
vigilant on the timetable of steps to come, and, like all of 
the international community, we will remain mobilized.  We 
follow with much attention the mission which the Special 
representative of the Secretary-General of the UN will make 
soon to Beirut and Damascus.   We expect as well from the 
Lebanese and Syrian authorities their full cooperation with 
the UN commission of inquiry sent on the ground to shed light 
on the assassination of Mr. Hariri.  It is in this manner 
that free and transparent elections can take place, 
permitting the Lebanese people to decide for themselves 
democratically.  End text. 
 
 
6. (C) Comment: There continues to be a slight nuance between 
the tough private line and public positions the GoF is taking 
on Syria/Lebanon.  While the GoF continues to stress the need 
for a "full and immediate" Syrian withdrawal from Lebanon, it 
is not declaring as vociferously as the U.S. that full 
withdrawal should take place before the elections start, 
though the February 28 Chirac-Kwasniewski joint communique on 
Lebanon declared that full withdrawal of Syrian troops and 
security services was necessary for the elections' success. 
FM Barnier, when pressed during an March 6 radio interview 
whether the withdrawal should happen before elections, said, 
"that would be ideal and that is what we would all like, for 
Syria to withdraw rapidly, completely -- in effect, for the 
Lebanese people really to be masters of their own destiny and 
to have freedom of choice by the time these elections take 
place."  Similarly, we think the French will take a cautious 
public stance on the planned March 8 demonstrations led by 
Hizballah, in a desire to avoid alienating the Shi'a 
community in Lebanon, and avoid fueling Hizballah accusations 
of U.S. and French interference in Lebanon's affairs.  End 
comment. 
Leach