The latest discovery in this context resides in the fact that the March 14 bloc wanted to get fighter jets out of belief such deal would “scare” Hezbollah, nothing more.
In 2008, while Lebanese were greeting with joy the announcement of a donation of ten MiG-29 Russian warplanes, believing it would strengthen the capacities of the Lebanese army against Israeli threats, the leaders of the March 14 bloc who were in power had in mind a completely different project.
Too simply, they wanted to exploit the Russian offer to weaken their political rivals, mainly Hezbollah!
This what was revealed by new WikiLeaks documents published on Friday by Lebanese daily Al-Akhbar, detailing meetings that joined then US ambassador to Lebanon Michele Sison and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State David Hale with Lebanese officials, including the head of the caretaker government Saad Hariri, Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea and Defense Minister in the caretaker Government Elias Murr.
HARIRI WANTS TO WEAKEN HEZBOLLAH
Hariri was speaking during a meeting with US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State David Hale on December 17, 2008.
He reportedly said that the planes would further weaken one of Hezbollah’s “excuses” to hold onto its arms. “Hezbollah is feeling threatened by the MiG deal and the party's al-Manar TV station dealt with it (the issue) negatively,” Hariri claimed, without convincing the US ambassador who admitted that there was no negative reaction from the Resistance group on the MiG deal. "A Hezbollah representative has stressed in an official statement his support to arm the Lebanese military to confront Israel," Sison wrote.
MURR BELIEVES JETS BEST WAY TO DESTROY HEZBOLLAH
Anoter leaked US Embassy cable published exclusively in Al-Akhbar on Friday revealed that Defense Minister Elias Murr had initially rejected a Russian grant of 77 tanks and 50,000 of their ammunition, saying that the Lebanese had no need for them.
The WikiLeaks cable spoke of a December 16, 2008, meeting between Murr and his Russian counterpart Anatoly Serdyukov, during which the Lebanese official explained that Lebanon is in need of MiG fighter jets. The Russian official grew frustrated with Murr's request, eventually conceding to granting Lebanon 10 MiG-29 fighter jets for free.
Murr recounted the details of the meeting to then US Ambassador to Lebanon Michele Sison. He explained that he had no choice but to accept the offer because if he rejected it, he would have been labeled as a traitor who is following an American agenda. He went on to say that the Russian offer could be used against Hezbollah, noting that it could bolster the March 14 camp's chances of winning the 2009 parliamentary elections, according to the cable.
The MiG jets are the best way to combat and destroy Hezbollah, Murr claimed.
The December 22, 2008, cable revealed that Sison had opposed the MiG deal to which Murr responded that he will not reply to the offer before the end of 2009.
In a later cable, dated April 6, 2009, the minister informed the ambassador that Lebanon will reject the Russian offer, saying it won't accept it "before 2040."
GEAGEA ASSURES ISRAEL NOT THREATENED!According to a WikiLeaks cable dated December 19, 2008, Geagea told US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State David Hale that Lebanese army pilots need hundreds of MiG-29 Russian fighter jets and tens of years of experience on the jets to “threaten” Israel.
Geagea reportedly warned during the meeting that MiG jets would "most probably complicate US efforts aimed at building support for the army inside Congress and with Israelis."
River to Sea
Uprooted Palestinian
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