Delegation for relations with the Mashreq countries
8TH IPM EP - LEBANON 6-11 April 2009
Report by Ms Béatrice PATRIE, Chair of the Delegation
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
...... 1
Delegation for relations with the Mashreq countries...... 1
8TH IPM EP - LEBANON ...... 1
6-11 April 2009 ...... 1
I. INTRODUCTION...... 3
II. POLITICAL MEETINGS...... 3
1. Meeting with the President, General Michel Sleimane...... 3 2. Meeting with Prime Minister Siniora...... 3 3. Meeting with Nabih Berry, President of the Parliament...... 4 4. Meeting with Samir Geagea ...... 5 5. Meeting with Mohammed Raad, head of the Hezbollah parliamentary block5 6. Meeting with Walid Joumblatt and Marwan Hamadé...... 6 7. Meeting with Michel Aoun ...... 6 8. Meeting with Saad Hariri, Leader of the Future Movement ...... 7
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT ...... 8
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I. INTRODUCTION The trip took place a good half year after the visit by a Lebanese parliamentary delegation to Brussels, which can be seen as testament to the role the EP Mashreq delegation accords to its relations with Lebanon.
As usual, the working party held talks with all political leaders. The timing of the visit was all the more opportune in that elections would be held in Lebanon in June. The working party was able to find out how the election preparations were progressing. At the express request of the Lebanese, a Commission and EP delegation would be involved in observing the elections.
When the programme was being drawn up, the Lebanese ambassador in Belgium had suggested a meeting with the leadership of Hezbollah, but this did not unfortunately take place despite intensive contacts that even continued after the delegation's arrival. The working party did, however, have the opportunity to meet the head of the Hezbollah parliamentary block who spoke of the importance of dialogue with his organisation.
II. POLITICAL MEETINGS
1. Meeting with the President, General Michel Sleimane The President highlighted, first of all, the importance of the Doha Agreement which had made it possible to achieve reconciliation among the Arab countries and between the different groups within Lebanon. One particularly important aspect was the relationship between Syria and Lebanon, as an exchange of ambassadors had been agreed upon for the first time in their history. The President emphasised that there were fraternal and friendly relations between the two countries, but that the independence of both countries had to be respected. The fate of the Arab peace initiative had also been discussed in Doha. It had been thanks to this initiative that there was still a basis for negotiations with Israel; many Arab countries had wanted to retract it.
He was happy with the internal situation in Lebanon: the economic situation was stable, and the security situation satisfactory as the Army was doing its job. He was cautiously optimistic about the elections. The electoral law had introduced some reforms, but these were not yet enough. All religious denominations could also now be found in the different political camps, with the exception of the Shiites who were only represented in one political entity.
He was grateful for the EU's support, as it had always stood on the side of an independent Lebanon.
2. Meeting with Prime Minister Siniora In his introduction, he referred in particular to the special political situation in Lebanon which had been affected by the unresolved Palestinian issue for some 60 years. Despite all the problems in the region, Lebanon stood for democracy, openness and the rule of law.
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On top of the complicated political background, there was also the difficult socio-economic situation. If improvements were not made here, there was a danger of widespread radicalisation in society. It was therefore his aim to use investment in the transport infrastructure, education, the health system and environmental protection to create jobs. All this would involve the municipalities more than before, thus also sending out the right signal. He would be presenting a programme for this work in the coming weeks, which could be the basis on which the next Government would work.
The security situation was still very tense although some progress had been made. The Government was alarmed at the recent assassination of a prominent Palestinian leader.
Whilst the national unity government was very important, it was unacceptable that a minority in the Cabinet should be able to block all decisions. This had not been the case with the previous government, so the new government should go back to the former principles.
He felt that good relations with neighbouring Syria were particularly important, but these had to be characterised by mutual respect. Diplomatic relations were the first step, and others needed to follow such as the mutual recognition of borders and an end to arms smuggling.
The Arab peace initiative, which dealt with future relations with Israel, had not been represented very effectively by the Arab countries. They also now questioned the point of this initiative, especially since Israel had never really responded to it. The Israeli government had been described as moderate, even though Israeli troops had entered Lebanon twice and there were regular incursions into Lebanese airspace. What was now to be expected of the new Israeli government? If it were to act as the new Foreign Minister proclaimed, this would have wide- reaching consequences for the region.
Lebanon should not give up its independence for the sake of another country, be that country Syria, Iran, Saudi Arabia, the USA, France or Israel. He meant it when he said: if Lebanon did not exist, it would have to be created.
3. Meeting with Nabih Berry, President of the Parliament The President quickly ran through the latest political developments: Lebanon had come through one of its most serious crises, and a way forward had been found thanks to the Doha Agreement. He considered the unresolved issues to be the disarming of Hezbollah and ridding Parliament of sectarianism. He therefore advocated implementation of the Taef Agreement which made provision for a second Chamber that would deal exclusively with religious and cultural issues. In the field of education, he was in favour of using the same history books in all schools and lessons in citizenship. He did not expect any great changes as an outcome of the elections.
During the war in Gaza, his organisation, Amal, and Hezbollah had put pressure on Hamas to stop firing missiles at Israeli towns.
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4. Meeting with Samir Geagea Samir Geagea was also in favour of the new electoral law, even though it was not ideal. Opinion polls suggested that the March 14 Alliance could obtain a majority. There was considerable tension within the Christian camp, as Christians belonged to two different alliances: the March 14 Alliance and the March 8 Alliance. It was possible to speak with Hezbollah, which belonged to the March 8 Alliance, but not with Michel Aoun, as he went so far as to criticise the patriarch.
With regard to the regional context, he considered it important to break out of the vicious circle of Arab-Israeli conflict as soon as possible. He recognised the danger of several countries in the region one day possessing nuclear weapons. As Israel and the Palestinians were incapable of finding a solution to the conflict by themselves, a powerful broker had to be found. There was, however, not much time left.
He was sceptical concerning the elections in Iran. These were not proper elections as they would not lead to any great change. The real power lay with the religious leader, Khamenei.
5. Meeting with Mohammed Raad, head of the Hezbollah parliamentary block At the outset of the discussions, Mr Raad welcomed the Delegation's desire to set up this meeting. His organisation's only wish was for dialogue, but the EU had unfortunately refused to engage in this dialogue up until now.
In an international context, there had been a significant change with the election of the new US President. His organisation was monitoring developments very closely but had not yet detected any change with regard to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the relationship between the USA and Iran.
On a regional level, he was very critical of the fact that some political systems were outdated and had nothing new to offer. There was a danger that they would establish contact with Israel and thus undermine peace talks.
Israel was neither willing nor able to pursue peace. Israel was a threat to peace in the region, as it still occupied not just Palestinian, but also other Arab, lands. Despite UN Resolutions, Israel had not budged, and it was only thanks to the war of resistance in Lebanon that southern Lebanon had been freed. Since the withdrawal in 2000, they had been expecting a war which was eventually unleashed in summer 2006. Hezbollah had since been positive towards UNIFIL. He did not place much hope in diplomacy, and considered the current Israeli government to be more aggressive than its predecessor.
Whoever won the elections, both sides were reliant on each other. The country could not be governed by one block alone. Important decisions would need to be taken by a 2/3 majority, and normal decisions by 50% plus one vote. If his grouping were to win the elections, it would extend a hand to the other side and accept a blockade policy, if that is what they wanted.
With reference to a current newspaper article alleging that Hezbollah had transported weapons intended for Hamas in Egypt, he countered that Hezbollah was a major local player. The
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Egyptian government perhaps had problems of its own and was seeking to divert attention from these in this way. Hezbollah had no problem with the regime in Egypt.
In response to a question on the status of discussions between the UK Government and Hezbollah, he replied that the British were perhaps the best qualified to provide information as the British had been involved in the establishment of the State of Israel.
He ended by reiterating the importance of dialogue and contact. Hezbollah, in any case, was willing to engage in this, and his organisation was, after all, a political player that had to be taken into consideration in Lebanese politics.
6. Meeting with Walid Joumblatt and Marwan Hamadé Both interlocutors pointed out that the regional context had changed following the US Presidential elections. There was now contact between the USA on the one hand and Syria and Iran on the other. The EU was also seeking greater rapprochement with Syria. Joumblatt was disappointed at the EU reaction to the war in Gaza. He compared the situation with events at the time of the civil war in Lebanon when the Socialist International had, upon the initiative of Willy Brandt, dispatched a delegation to Beirut to help find a solution. There had been no comparable initiatives this time.
The electoral law that had now been adopted was not what the electoral commission had passed. It was, in effect, the law of 1960. The ideal solution would be to implement the Taef Agreement which made provision for ridding Parliament of sectarianism and establishing a second Chamber to deal with cultural and religious matters.
A large part of the discussions centred on the role of Hezbollah. This organisation was a State within the State that, as a result of the Doha Agreement, had been given a blocking minority in the Cabinet. Following the 2006 war, there were now other territories in addition to the Shebaa areas where, in the view of Hezbollah, armed resistance was justified. The Cabinet Minister with responsibility for telecommunications came from this organisation and there were fears that telephone calls might be tapped.
Arms smuggling from Syria into Lebanon still went on, and it was not just Hezbollah but also the Palestinian refugee camps that benefitted from this. It was essential to set up a joint commission to establish the borderline between Syria and Lebanon.
7. Meeting with Michel Aoun He was optimistic about the outcome of the elections, and his grouping was putting forward candidates in all electoral districts. The new electoral law was better than the old one, even though he would have preferred a proportional system. He criticised Joumblatt, who he felt was guilty of too much political manoeuvring, and attacked Michel Murr's new grouping.
If he were to win the elections, he would pursue the following objectives: - in the economic sector: debt had to be kept in check and productivity raised, - on security matters: more effective action had to be taken against terrorists,
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- tougher action against corruption, - improvements in the judiciary: justice should be carried out independently, with integrity, efficiency and competence. Constitutional judges should be selected by a Council, - in the field of education: improved training and social systems, greater emphasis on the teaching of history and religion, - environmental policy: construction of more reservoirs (27 projects) to capture the abundant water resources.
In response to a question on the disarming of Hezbollah, he referred to 7 May when Hezbollah had been threatened and had responded. The Army had still not fulfilled its duties.
His group had presented a proposal on health policy, but this had been rejected by the majority in Parliament.
8. Meeting with Saad Hariri, Leader of the Future Movement He talked first about the situation that had prevailed before the Doha Agreement: the work of all institutions had been blocked, and there was even the danger of civil war. Whilst Doha had been a success for Lebanon, the Cabinet's work had been complicated by the introduction of the blocking minority. This should not be possible in a new Cabinet following the elections. If it were to continue, the President should be given an important role in being able to overrule the blocking of draft legislation in certain cases.
He was very happy that the EU would send a delegation to observe the elections; the EU needed to play a greater role in Lebanon and in the region. It was high time that the peace process yielded results. In this context, he expected the USA to exert more pressure on Israel and Syria.
The current situation in Parliament did not reflect the real distribution of power. The law of 1960 that had been adopted as the basis for the elections was closer to the situation on the ground. He welcomed Michel Murr's new centrist block which could play a decisive role.
The Tribunal had opened on 1 March, but he had no further news about it. His response to critics who maintained that this trial would cause further problems for Lebanon was to ask where Lebanon would be if these proceedings did not take place.
He felt one of the priorities for the post-election period was to draw up an economic programme: many of the highly educated young people who were returning from the Gulf States and the United Kingdom as a result of the economic crisis needed to be offered prospects in Lebanon. He was giving thought to the creation of offshore companies and the privatisation of the telecommunications and energy sector, which could create thousands of jobs.
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Annexe I
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT
DELEGATION POUR LES RELATIONS AVEC LES PAYS DU MASHREK
VIIIème Rencontre Interparlementaire Parlement Européen-Liban
06-11 avril 2009
PROGRAMME
Dimanche 5 avril 2009
Arrivées individuelles de l'Europe à l'aéroport international Rafik Hariri
Check in à l'hôtel Phoenicia Intercontinental Hotel MINET EL HOSN • BEIRUT Tel: +961-1-369100 • Fax: +961-1-369101 •
Lundi 6 avril 2009 Beyrouth
07h45 Petit-déjeuner de travail avec laTroika UE (CZ, ES, EC) Lieu: Hotel Phoenicia - Restaurant Mosaique
08h45 Départ de l’hôtel pour Baabda
09h30 Rencontre avec le Général Michel SLEIMANE, Président de la République Lieu: Baabda
10h10 Départ pour le Grand Sérail
11h00 Rencontre avec S.E. M. Fouad SINIORA, Président du Conseil des Ministres Lieu: Grand Sérail
12h30 Rencontre avec S.E. M. Nabih BERRY, Président du Parlement Libanais et avec M. Abdellatif EL ZEIN, Président de la Commission Parlementaire pour les Affaires Etrangères Lieu: Ein El Tineh
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13h30-15h30 Déjeuner offert par le Parlement libanais Lieu: Restaurant Karam, centre ville
16h00-17h00 Elections - Société civile libanaise (LADE: M. Ammar Abboud, LPHU: Mme Sylvana Lakkis, LTA: Mme Lynn Ghosn + Mme Gaelle Kibranian) Lieu: Bureaux de la Délégation - Local ECHO (20 personnes max)
Mardi 7 avril 2009 Beyrouth
08h45 Départ de l’hôtel
09h30 Rencontre avec S.E. M. Faouzi SALLOUKH, Ministre des Affaires Etrangères Lieu: Ministère des Affaires Etrangères, Achrafieh
11h00-12h30 Briefing sur les élections - assistance technique (Transtec: M. Niall Mc Cann (EC TA Team), IFES: M. Richard Chambers, UNDP: Mme Carmina Sanchez, Transtec: M. Niall McCann) Lieu: Bureaux de la Délégation - Salle de Lecture
12h30-13h30 Briefing sur les élections - observation (e.g. EUEOM core team si deployée, EC Del sinon, Carter Center: M. Adolpho Cayuso, NDI: M. Joseph Hall + 2 pers.) Lieu: Bureaux de la Délégation - Salle de Lecture
13h30-15h00 Déjeuner offert par le PE avec M. Paul Salem (Carnegie Centre), M. Oussama Safa (LCPS) and Me Majed Fayyad Lieu: Bureaux de la Délégation - Salle de réunion
17h30-18h30 Table ronde sur les Droits de l'Homme (HRW: M. Nadim Houry, Solida: Mme Bérangère Pinot, Caritas: Mme Najla Chahda, ALEF: M. Julien Courson, Restart Center: Mme Suzanne Jabbour, PHRO: M. Ghassan Abdallah) Lieu: Bureaux de la Délégation - Salle de réunion
20h15 Dîner offert avec les Chefs de Mission offert par la Délégation de la CE Lieu: Hôtel Phoenicia - Salle Byblos
Mercredi 8 avril 2009 Beyrouth
10h00 Départ pour Bkerke
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11h00-11h30 Rencontre avec Sa Béatitude le Patriarche NASRALLAH BOUTROS SFEIR Lieu: Bkerke
11h40 Départ pour Mearab
12h30-13h15 Rencontre avec M. Samir GEAGEA (Chef Exécutif des Forces Libanaises) Lieu: Mearab 13h25 Départ pour Beyrouth
14h30 Déjeuner libre Lieu: Restaurant La Palette
15h00 Départ
15h30 Rencontre avec le Mufti Mohammad Rachid KABBANI Lieu: Résidence Verdun
16h30 Départ pour Zalka
17h00 Rencontre avec M. Michel MURR (Bloc du Centre) Lieu: Zalka, Imm. Al Amara
18h00 Retour à l'hôtel
19h00 Départ de l'hôtel
20h00 Dîner offert par le PE Lieu: Hotel Al Bustan - Les Glycines
Jeudi 9 avril 2009 Beyrouth
08h00 Départ de l'hôtel
08h30 Rencontre avec M.Mohammad RAAD, Chef du Bloc Parlementaire du Hezbollah Lieu: Parlement
10h00 Rencontre avec Sheikh Kabalan, Conseil supérieur chiite
11h00 Rencontre avec M. Walid JOUMBLATT (Chef du Parti Socialiste Progressiste)
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Lieu: Clémenceau
12h30 Rencontre avec S.E. M. Ziad BAROUD, Ministre de l'Intérieur et des Municipalités Lieu: Ministère de l'Intérieur - Sanayeh
Déjeuner libre
14h20 Départ pour Rabieh
15h00-15h45 Rencontre avec le Général Michel AOUN (Chef du Courant Patiotique Libre) Lieu: Rabieh
16h30 Rencontre avec Mr Riad SALAMEH, Gouverneur de la Banque du Liban Lieu: Banque du Liban, Hamra
17h30 Départ
18h00 Conférence de presse Lieu: Radisson SAS Hotel
19h30 Rencontre avec M. Saad HARIRI, Chef du Mouvement du Futur Lieu: Koraytem
Vendredi 10 avril 2009
08h00-13h00 Départ vers le Sud/Unifil Rencontre avec le Commandant des Forces Présentation donnée par Unifil Visite du contingent européen Lieu: Naqoura et Liban Sud
13h00 Déjeuner avec UNIFIL
17h00 Départ/visite de la "Battle area clearance" (bombes à fragmentation) partenaire CE Lieu: Région de Nabatieh
19h00 Retour à Beyrouth
Samedi 11 avril 2009 Beyrouth
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Départ vers l'Europe
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Annex II EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT
DELEGATION FOR RELATIONS WITH THE MASHREQ COUNTRIES 8TH IPM EP - LEBANON
06-11 April 2009
LIST OF PARTICIPANTS
Members (6) Group Country Ms Béatrice PATRIE, Chair PES France M. Tadeusz ZWIEFKA EPP-ED Poland Ms Catherine BOURSIER PES France Ms Nathalie GRIESBECK ALDE France Baroness NICHOLSON OF WINTERBOURNE ALDE United Kingdom Mr Fernand LE RACHINEL NI France
EPP-ED Group of the European People's Party (Christian Democrats) and European Democrats PES Group of the Party of European Socialists ALDE Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe NI Non-attached Members
DG III Staff (3) Mr Hans-Hermann KRAUS Administrator Ms Djamila CHIKHI Administrator Ms Nicole DEVOS Administrative Assistant
Political group staff (2) Ms Valborg LINDEN JONSTEN PES Advisor Ms Isabella MARZULLO ALDE Advisor
Interpreters (5) Ms Patricia WARD, Team Leader EN (FR, IT) Mr Michael HILL EN (FR, DE, NL, ES Ms Amal SAAD WATT AR (FR, EN) Ms Melpomeni KONSTANTINIDI AR/FR Ms Rania ABOU ZEID AR (FR, EN)/FR
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