US embassy cable - 05BEIRUT2285

UNCLAS BEIRUT 002285 
 
 
NSC FOR ABRAMS/DANIN/POUNDS 
PARIS FOR ZEYA 
LONDON FOR GOLDRICH 
 
PARIS FOR ZEYA 
LONDON FOR GOLDRICH 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS:  PGOV, PINR, ECON, SOCI, LE 
SUBJECT:  MGLE01:  BIOGRAPHY OF POTENTIAL CANDIDATE FOR 
FOREIGN MINISTER 
 
1.  WE have learned that Prime Minister-designate Fouad 
Siniora has agreed with the two main Shiite political forces 
to name Fawzi Salloukh as Minister for Foreign Affairs. 
Salloukh is a retired diplomat and a moderate Shia figure 
with national standing as an independent intellectual.  He 
is 74 years old. 
 
2.  Fawzi Salloukh is currently the Secretary General of the 
Islamic University in Southern Beirut.  The University was 
founded in 1994 by the late Shaykh Mohammad Mehdi 
Shamseddin, then Chairman of the Higher Lebanese Shiite 
Council.  Although an Islamic University, the university 
curriculum includes a Faculty for Engineering, a Faculty for 
Business Administration, a Faculty for Tourism, a Higher 
Institute of Languages and Translation, an Institute of 
Information and Technology, a Medical Instrumentation 
Institute, a Faculty of Political Sciences and a School for 
Islamic Studies. 
 
3.  A career diplomat, Salloukh served in Algeria, London 
and Liberia, among other countries.  In the early nineties, 
he was Director of Economic Affairs at the Ministry of 
Foreign Affairs.  During his time at the Ministry, Salloukh 
did not make a strong impression on coworkers.  Fellow Shia 
MP Yassin Jabir told us that Salloukh is not pro-active and 
will not give impetus to the Ministry under his tenure. 
Before retiring from the Foreign Service, Salloukh was 
appointed Ambassador to Belgium.  He authored two books in 
Arabic on political topics. 
 
4.  Salloukh is an active member of the Forum of Former 
Ambassadors and writes articles in the Arab language journal 
"Diplomacy" published by the Forum.  He has an excellent 
reputation for being open and democratic in his thinking. 
His former colleagues describe him as a good diplomat. 
Salloukh has never identified himself with any political 
movement. 
 
Feltman