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CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 01 BEIRUT 08317 011542Z 44 ACTION NEA-10 INFO OCT-01 EUR-12 ISO-00 NEAE-00 SSO-00 NSCE-00 USIE-00 INRE-00 PM-03 H-02 INR-07 L-03 NSAE-00 NSC-05 PA-01 PRS-01 SP-02 SS-15 SAB-01 OC-05 CCO-00 OPR-02 A-01 SY-05 IO-10 TRSE-00 AID-05 SCS-03 SCA-01 SCCT-01 ( ISO ) W --------------------- 024787 O R 011336Z JUL 75 FM AMEMBASSY BEIRUT TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 5054 DIA WASHDC IMMEDIATE CIA WASHDC INFO AMEMBASSY ABU DHABI AMEMBASSY ALGIERS AMEMBASSY AMMAN AMEMBASSY ANKARA AMEMBASSY ATHENS USINT BAGHDAD UNN AMEMBASSY BONN AMEMBASSY CAIRO AMEMBASSY DAMASCUS AMCONSUL DHAHRAN AMEMBASSY DOHA AMCONSUL JERUSALEM AMEMBASSY JIDDA AMEMBASSY KUWAIT AMEMBASSY LONDON AMEMBASSY MANAMA AMEMBASSY PARIS AMEMBASSY ROME AMCONSUL STUTTGART AMEMBASSY TEHRAN AMEMBASSY TEL AVIV USCINCEUR CONFIDENTIAL CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 02 BEIRUT 08317 011542Z C O N F I D E N T I A L BEIRUT 8317 STUTTGART FOR ELG E.O. 11652: GDS TAGS: PINS, PGOV, LE, PLO SUBJECT: ANNOUNCEMENT OF SIX-MAN CABINET ENDS POLITICAL ASPECT OF LEBANON CRISIS REF: BEIRUT 8274 1. LEBANESE MINISTRY OF INFORMATION ANNOUNCED AT 1300 HOURS LOCAL ON JULY 1 COMPOSITION OF NEW SIX-MAN CABINET AS FOLLOWS: RASHID KARAME (SUNNI) PRIME MINISTER, MINISTRIES OF DEFENSE, FINANCE & INFORMATION CAMILLE CHAMOUN MINISTRIES OF INTERIOR, PTT AND (MARONITE) HYDRO-ELECTRIC RESOURCES AMIR MAJID ARSLAN MINISTRIES OF HEALTH, HOUSING (DRUZE) AND COOPERATIVES AND AGRICULTURE ADEL OSSEIRAN MINISTRIES OF JUSTICE, PUBLIC (SHIITE) WORKS, TRANSPORTATION, ECO- NOMY AND COMMERCE PHILIPPE TAQLA (GREEK MINISTRIES OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS, (CATHOLIC) NATIONAL EDUCATION, AND PLANNING GHASSAN TUEINI (GREEK MINISTRIES OF LABOR AND SOCIAL ORTHODOX AFFAIRS, TOURISM AND PETROLEUM AND INDUSTRY. 2. ATHOUGH THE NAMES OF CABINET MEMBERS WERE ANNOUNCED EVENING JUNE 30 (FBIS JN301720Y), FACT THAT PORTFOLIOS WERE NOT RPT NOT ASSIGNED AT SAME TIME GAVE RISE TO SOME APPRE- HENSION AMONG PUBLIC THAT SIGNIFICANT OBSTACLES STILL IMPEDING POLITICAL PROCESS. DIFFICULTUES, WHICH WERE NOT FINALLY IRONED OUT UNTIL MORNING JULY 1, DID IN FACT REMAIN AND WE UNDERSTAND THAT HAZARDOUS INTERNAL SECURITY SITUATION LAST NIGHT PRE- CONFIDENTIAL CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 03 BEIRUT 08317 011542Z VENTED SEVERAL CABINET MEMBERS FROM HONORING SUMMONS TO PRESIDENTIAL PALACE UNTIL THIS MORNING. 3. PRIMARY PROBLEM IN INTERNAL ORGANIZATION OF CABINET (ONCE KARAME-CHAMOUN RECONCILIATION ON JUNE 30 PUT AN END TO FUED LASTING SINCE 1958 CIVIL WAR) REVOLVED AROUND ASSIGNMENT OF DEFENSE AND INTERIOR PORTFOLIOS. CHAMOUN REPORTEDLY INSIS- TED ON INTERIOR AND WE ALMOST CERTAIN THIS WAS CONDITION LAID DOWN BY PHALANGIST LEADER PIERRE GEMAYEL FOR DROPPING HIS INSISTENCE UPON PHALANGE REPRESENTATION IN NEW GOVT. TO OFF- SET CHRISTIAN HOLD ON INTERIOR, KARAME INSISTED ON HOLDING POST OF DEFENSE MINISTER--CLAIM THAT WAS CONTESTED BY AGED AND AILING DRUZE POLITICO ARSLAN, WHO HAS PREVIOUSLY HELD DEFENSE SEAT MOST RECENTLY IN 1972. GIVEN FACT THAT SOCIAL- IST LEADER KAMAL JUMBLATT (HIMSELF A DRUZE) HAD OPPOSED ARSLAN'S PRESENCE IN CABINET AND PUSHED FOR SUBSTITUTIION OF NAJIB ALAMUDDINE, SEEMS PROBABLE THAT KARAME, WITH ASSIST OF CHAMOUN (ALLY OF ARSLAN) AND OTHERS, WAS ABLE TO CONVINCE ARSLAN TO SETTLE FOR LESSER PORTFOLIOS AND THUS REMOVE LAST HURDLE ON POLITICAL FRONT. 4. CHARACTER OF NEW CABINET IS DISTINCTLY CONSERVATIVE, PROBABLY REFLECTING HARD BARGAIN DRIVEN BY PHALANGE IN RELIN- QUISHING THEIR CLAIM TO A PORTFOLIO AT THIS TIME. WE WOULD IMAGINE THAT KAMAL JUMBLATT, WHO LEFT BEIRUT FOR CAIRO LAST EVENING (JUNE 30) IS NOT RPT NOT AT ALL PLEASED WITH COMPOSI- TION. HOWEVER, JUMBLATT PLAYED HIS HIGHT CARD IN KEEPING PHALANGE ON SIDELINES FOR THE MOMENT AND APPARENTLY DID NOT HAVE SUFFICIENT TRUMP CARDS LEFT TO TAKE FURTHER TRICKS IN BAR- GAINING ON DETAILS. WHILE HE MAY BE PREPARED TO LIVE WITH NEW GOVT.,--AT LEAST FOR THE PROJECTED TWO TO THREE MONTHS OF ITS LIFE AT WHICH TIME PRESUMABLY A NEW CABINET INCORPORA- TING BOTH THE PHALANGE AND JUMBLATTISTS WILL BE FORMED--IT IS FAR FROM CERTAIN, HOWEVER, THAT MANY OF JUMBLATT'S "PRO- GRESSIVE" SUPPORTERS, AS WELL AS UNRECONSTRUCTED PHALANGIST HARDLINERS, WILL BE SATISFIED WITH POLITICAL COMPROMISE. 5. ON FIRST REFLECTION, WE BELIEVE CABINET REPRESENTS MUCH BETTER SOLUTION TO POLITICAL ASPECT OF CRISIS THAN OTHER CON- CEIVABLE COMBINATINS AND INCLUDES SEVERAL CAPABLE AND INFLU- ENTIAL PERSONALITIES. IF IT TAKES HOLD RAPIDLY AND DECISIVELY, CONFIDENTIAL CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 04 BEIRUT 08317 011542Z IT STANDS REASONABLE CHANCE OF ARRESTING DETERIORATING SITUA- TION ON GROUND AND EVENTUALLY BUYING TIME TO TACKLE BASIC PROBLEMS UNDERLYING CLASHES. NEVERTHELESS, LAST NIGHT'S ANNOUNCEMENT DID NOT RPT NOT HAVE DESIRED EFFECT OF CALMING LOCAL SITUATION AND BEIRUT AND OTHER PARTS OF COUNTRY EXPER- IENCED WHAT WAS PROBABLY WORST NIGHT OF TERROR AND DESTRUC- TION TO DATE. SECURITY SITUATION REMAINS CRITICAL (SEPTEL) AND, AS REPORTED PREVIOUSLY, CLASHES HAVE ASSUMED MOMEN- TUM NOT RPT NOT DETERMINED BY POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS. THERE REMAIN MANY ARMED ELEMENTS WHO DO NOT RPT NOT REGARD THIS CABINET AS ADEQUATE SOLUTION AND NEW GOVT WILL HAVE ITS PLATE FULL BRINGING THEM TO HEEL. GODLEY CONFIDENTIAL NNN