WikiLeaks: Miqati Describes Hariri as Naïve; Says July 2006 War Would Weaken Hizbullah Politically and Militarily

Hizbullah doesn’t mind cooperating with Saad Hariri because he views him as “naïve and easily deceived” said Najib Miqati at the end of the July 2006 war, revealed a leaked U.S. Embassy cable published exclusively in al-Rai News on Tuesday.

Miqati, who was then a former prime minister, stated that the absence of a real leader among Lebanon’s Sunnis will empower the “unified and armed Shiite sect,” said the WikiLeaks cable dated August 8, 2006, a few days before the ceasefire in the war was put into effect.

The cable spoke of a meeting between then U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Jeffery Feltman, Phalange Party leader Amin Gemayel, Miqati, then Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh, and Speaker Nabih Berri’s advisor Ali Hamdan.

The gatherers agreed that a few months after the end of the war, the majority of the Lebanese will blame Hizbullah for destroying the country, which would therefore weaken it politically.

Miqati believed that once the ceasefire is implemented the time would be right to demand then President Emile Lahoud to step down from his post, even though he was convinced that he wouldn’t leave office until the end of his term in 2007.

He also believed that Syria will employ the July 2006 war in order to achieve political gains in Lebanon, especially regarding the Special tribunal for Lebanon.

He added that Hizbullah only lost 25 percent of its power in the war and it was willing and capable of continuing the conflict with Israel.

The cable said that the then former prime minister supported the party in the conflict, he wanted Hizbullah to eventually lay down its arms.

He noted however that the party will maintain a sizable amount of its arsenal even if the Lebanese army were to deploy in southern Lebanon.

“Even though the army is still weak and divided, it would be capable of fulfilling the minimum amount of its duties should it deploy in the South and therefore it is necessary that it receive international support,” he said.

“Hizbullah will hand over a symbolic number of 500 to 1000 Katyusha rockets to the security forces, return some to Syria, and hide the rest underground,” Miqati said.

“Regardless of the outcome of the war, Hizbullah will attempt to portray itself as a victor after the war … It would be best to deal with the party on this basis even though the war would have left it weaker politically and militarily,” he concluded.