UNCLASSIFIED U.S. Department of State Case No. F-2014-20439 Doc No. C05765599 Date: 07/31/2015 RELEASE IN PART B1,1.4(D) From: Abedin, Huma Sent: Monday, November 9, 2009 1:27 PM To: Subject Fw: Lebanon has a cabinet From: Feltman, Jeffrey D To: Sullivan, Jacob J; Abedin, Huma Sent: Mon Nov 09 13:25:52 2009 Subject: Lebanon has a cabinet Hariri just announced the formation of a cabinet. It's divided 15-10-5 (15 ministers with March 14, 10 ministers with March 8, 5 ministers with President Sleiman). The ones of most concern to us -- Defense (our help to LAF), Interior (help to police plus municipal elections), Justice (Hariri Tribunal), Finance (can veto anything because of financial implications) are all either with March 14 or Presidency. That's good. Foreign . Affairs is with a new guy from Nabih Berri's bloc. with Lebanon rotating onto the Security Council. Next step: Hariri and his cabinet have 30 days to come up with the ministerial declaration, basically a platform, that must be presented to the Parliament along with the cabinet slate for a vote of confidence. This, too, may be painful, as they debate how to describe "the resistance" in ways that don't cross either U.S. or Hizballah red lines. Jeffrey Feltman Assistant Secretary Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs Department of State 202-647-7209 Classified by DAS, A/GIS, DoS on 07/30/2015 - Class: CONFIDENTIAL - Reason: 1.4(D) - Declassify on: 11/08/2024 UNCLASSIFIED U.S. Department of State Case No. F-2014-20439 Doc No. C05765599 Date: 07/31/2015 1.4(D) B1