Department of State
FROM THE EMBASSY DAMASCUS TO SECRETARY OF STATE WASHINGTON DC
SECRET
DAMASCUS 06331
FROM MURPHY FOR S/S – HILL ONLY
REPEAT TO BEIRUT AND TEL AVIV FOR AMBASSADOR ONLY
SUBJECT : SECOND MEETING WITH KHADDAM–SUMMARY CABLE
DATE 27/09/1984
KHADDAM OPENED OUR SECOND MEETING SEPT 27 WITH TWO QUESTIONS: WHAT WOULD BE THE TERMS OF AN EXPANDED UNIFIL MANDATE? AS ISRAEL VACATES AREAS, WOULD -UNIFIL TAKE ON ANY AUTHORITY OF THE LEBANESE STATE?
I EXPLAINED WE WERE TALKING ABOUT MATTERS WHICH THE GOL WOULD WORK OUT IN DETAIL WITH THE UN, BUT UNIFIL WOULD ONLY UNDER TAKE RESPONSIBILITIES AGREED BY GOL FOR AN INTERIM PERIOD.
KHADDAM SAID HE SAW NO ROLL FOR EITHER THE U. S. OR SYRIA IN THIS PARTICULAR MATTER.
HE THEN MADE FOUR COMMENTS WHICH HE INDICATED WERE OFFICIAL SYRIAN VIEWS:
1 – THE UNDERTAKING REQUESTED FROM SYRIA ARE UNJUSTIFIED.
(COMMENT: THIS SEEMED TO BE A REFERENCE TO NO SYRIAN FORWARD MOVEMENT AND PREVENTION OF INFILTRATION. RECALLING TACIT SYRIAN AGREEMENT’S ON SIMILAR ISSUES IN 1974 AND 1976. AND TO AVOID A PREDICTABLY UNHELPFUL EXCHANGE ON THESE POINTS, I CHOSE NOT TO PRESS. GOI HAS NOW PUT SARG CLEARLY ON NOTICE THROUGH US ON BOTH POINTS. END COMMENT.
2 – SARG AGREES TO LEBANESE PROPOSAL THAT UNIFIL AND LAF BE DEPLOYED IN THE LEBANESE-ISRAELI BORDER AREA.
3 – “LOCAL FORCES” CONFLICT WITH GOL SOVEREIGNTY , AND SYRIA DOES NOT APPROVE OF THEIR USE .
4 – LEGALLY, THE ISRAELI – LEBANESE ARMISTICE COMMISSION STILL EXISTS AND CAN BE FRAMEWORK FOR ISRAELI AND LEBANESE OFFICERS TO MEET AND DISCUSS SECURITY ARRANGEMENTS.
AT CONSIDERABLE LENGTH (WE MET FOR OVER TWO HOURS), I REPEATEDLY CONVEYED THE FOLLOWING MAIN POINTS: PRACTICAL PROBLEMS NEED. BE ADDRESSED TO GET TOTAL ISRAELI WITHDRAWAL, ISRAEL HAS NO CONFIDENCE IN LAF, DIRECT TALKS ARE THE BEST WAY TO BUILD UPCONFIDENCE, NEED FOR EXPANDED UNIFIL IS URGENT AND IT WOULD HELP IF SARG URGED GOL TO GET PROCESS STARTED. I STRESSED MAJOR ISRAEL I CONCESSION OF NO LONGER SEEKING TALKS AT POLITICAL LEVEL.
KHADDAM DID NOT BUDGE FROM HIS POSITION. FINALLY, I URGED THAT THE SARG PROVIDE US WITH ANY THINKING ABOUT DIRECT ISRAEL-LEBANESE TALKS IN OTHER THAN THE ILMAC FRAMEWORK. IT WOULD BE UNFORTUNATE TO GET HUNG UP OVER THE FRAMEWORK WHEN THE SUBSTANCE MEETS A SHARED GOAL OF SEEING ISRAEL LEAVE SOUTHERN LEBANON. AS MEETING WAS
DRAWING TO CLOSE. I SAID THAT WE WOULD HAVE FURTHER OCCASIONS TO BE IN CONTACT.
SHARA’ AND I WOULD SEE EACH OTHER IN NEWYORK AND I MIGHT BE ABLE TO RETURN TO DAMASCUS AFTER THE TALK WITH PERES .
I ASKED KHADDAM TO TELL ME FRANKLY WHETHER HE SAW A ROLE FOR THE U. S. IN SEEKING A SOUTHERN LEBANON SOLUTION, NOTING THAT WE HAD’ BEEN. BURNED BEFORE AND WERE HONESTLY RELUCTANT TO RISK THIS AGAIN.
KHADDAM SAID, ” IN OUR VIEW YOU CAN DO USEFUL THINGS. ” HE SAID THAT WE ALL AGREED ON IMPROVING LEBANESE STABILITY. WITH REGARD TO THE SOUTH, WITH REGARD TO THE SOUTH, THE LEBANESE RESISTANCE WILL ONLY INCREASE WITH ITS STRIKES SPILLING OVER IN CROSS BORDER ACTIONS AGAINST I SRAEL. SYRIA IS ANXIOUS TO SEE LEBANON RESTORED TO INDEPENDENCE AND SOVEREIGNTY.
HE THOUGHT THAT PRESIDENT REAGAN COULD DECIDE FUTURE US MOVES AFTER TALKING TO PERES. IF THE IDF WITHDREW, THE “LOCAL FORCES” WE TALK ABOUT WOULD NOT LAST ONE HOUR.
(COMMENT: LAHAD’ S NAME WAS NEVER MENTIONED.)’ IF THE GOL WERE TO ACCEPT LOCAL FORCES IN THE SOUTH, IT WOULD WORK AGAINST LEBANESE UNITY AND STIMULATE THE APPETITE OF INDEPENDENT MlLITIAS THROUGHOUT LEBANON.
KHADDAM SAID HE UNDERSTOOD OUR POINT ABOUT USING THE LAF TO TALK TO THE IDF TO GIVE ISRAEL MORE CONFIDENCE IN A GOL-LED ALTERNATIVE TO LOCAL FORCES. ILMAC, HE SAID, WAS THE- ONLY FRAME WORK IN WHICH TO DO THAT, IN THE SYRI AN VIEW. AFTER I REITERATED A HALF DOZEN TIMES THAT ILMAC WAS DEAD FOR THE ISRAEL IS AND WE SHOULD STRETCH OUR MINDS TO SOME OTHER FORMULA, KHADDAM CONCLUDED ” ANYTHING YOU PUT FORWARD, WE WILL DISCUSS.
COMMENT: IT HAS BEEN WORTHWILE BUT AS PERES AND RABIN NOTED, ” IT WILL NOT BE EASY. ” END COMMENT.