WikiLeaks: Suleiman Said Hizbullah Supported his Election as President to Eliminate his Chances of Success

The United States initially opposed Michel Suleiman’s election as president, revealed a leaked U.S. Embassy cable published exclusively in Al-Akhbar on Wednesday.

The October 16, 2007, WikiLeaks cable spoke of a meeting between then Army Commander Michel Suleiman and then U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Jeffrey Feltman during which the former rejected claims that he was a “Syrian agent”, voicing fears over what Damascus had in store for Lebanon.

Feltman noted in the cable that Suleiman denied that he aimed to become president and spoke highly of Defense Minister Elias Murr and Mustaqbal movement leader Saad Hariri.

He was quoted as saying: “The Sunnis discovered the army thanks to Saad Hariri’s support.”

In addition, the U.S. official pointed out that Suleiman sought to leave a strong impression that he was not allied with Syria, justifying his ties with it by saying that he had no other option.

Suleiman also stressed the need for supporting cooperation between Hariri and the army in order to prevent the northern region of Akkar from falling victim to Islamist extremists “who are being controlled by Damascus.”

He added that he worked hard to maintain the Lebanese army’s unity, noting that it was not an easy task.

Furthermore, he said that should a dispute erupt among the Lebanese he would order the army not to get involved.

Feltman noted at the end of the meeting that Suleiman succeeded in demonstrating his national sentiments and that he was not allied with Syria.

He failed however in demonstrating that he was a good presidential candidate.

The two officials met again 12 days later, where the U.S. Ambassador noticed a change in the army commander’s positions, which he attributed to Murr’s influence on him, his presidential aspirations, and PSP leader MP Walid Jumblat’s threat that the Druze officers in the army would not stand idly by if the security situation in Lebanon deteriorated.

In addition, Suleiman informed Feltman that Hizbullah supported his candidacy to the presidency in order eliminate his chance of getting elected.

He explained that the party wanted to maintain the status quo in Lebanon and it did not want an agreement to be reached on its weapons.

Suleiman stressed that he wanted to establish good ties with Syria, but not at the expense of maintaining the party’s arms indefinitely.

The army commander voiced his support for Murr to become Interior Minister, “because the Defense Ministry loses its importance when the president, prime minister, and defense minister enjoy good ties.”

Having a Sunni Interior Minister alongside the Sunni Internal Security Forces chief would give the impression that the security forces had changed into a Sunni militia, he added.

Should Murr be appointed as Interior Minister, then ISF chief Wafiq Jezzini’s strong ties with Hizbullah would be severed, he continued.

Addressing Hizbullah’s possession of arms, Suleiman said in a meeting on November 24, 2007, a day after former President Emile Lahoud’s term as president ended, that he will ensure that an army commander committed to the implementation of United Nations Security Council resolution 1701 would be appointed.