ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN "SECRET" TALKS IN ROME: AN

C O N F I D E N T I A L ROME 003370 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/09/2012 TAGS: PREL KPAL IS XF IT UN SUBJECT: ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN "SECRET" TALKS IN ROME: AN EXAMPLE OF TRACK II DIPLOMACY CLASSIFIED BY: ACTING POL MC GARY ROBBINS FOR REASONS 1.5 (B) AND (D) ¶1. (U) SUMMARY: THE MAYOR OF ROME FACILITATED SEVERAL CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 02 ROME 03370 091535Z MEETINGS BETWEEN THE ISRAELI URI SAVIR AND THE PALESTINIAN ABU ALA LAST YEAR IN ROME. THE ITALIAN GOVERNMENT WAS NOT AWARE OF THESE MEETINGS BUT IS ALSO NOT UNDULY CONCERNED ABOUT THEM. THESE MEETINGS, UNOFFICIAL IN NATURE, PRODUCED A "ROME UNDERSTANDING", WHICH WAS EVENTUALLY REJECTED BY PM SHARON. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (C) POLOFF DISCUSSED WITH OFER BAVLY, THE SPOKESMAN OF THE EMBASSY OF ISRAEL IN ROME, THE NEWS THAT BROKE IN THE ITALIAN PRESS JULY 8 OF "SECRET" TALKS LAST YEAR BETWEEN SAVIR AND ABU ALA IN ROME. BAVLY SAID THE ITALIAN MEDIA OVERPLAYED THE IMPORTANCE OF THE ROME MEETINGS. SAVIR AND ABU ALA WORKED TOGETHER ON THE OSLO ACCORD AND ARE "GOOD FRIENDS", HE SAID. THEY MEET FREQUENTLY IN DIFFERENT PLACES IN THE WORLD, NOT JUST IN ROME. THEY BOTH ASKED MAYOR VELTRONI TO ARRANGE "SECRET" MEETINGS BECAUSE THEY BELIEVE, BASED ON THEIR EXPERIENCE IN OSLO, THAT TALKS ARE MOST PRODUCTIVE WHEN MEDIA PRESSURE IS ABSENT. SAVIR IS A LONG-TIME FRIEND AND CONSULTANT OF FM PERES. (NOTE: SAVIR BECAME DG OF THE ISRAELI MFA AT THE AGE OF 39. HE LATER BECAME THE PRESIDENT OF THE PERES CENTER FOR PEACE. HE IS NOW IN PRIVATE BUSINESS AND DIVIDES HIS TIME BETWEEN ISRAEL AND ITALY. END NOTE.) EVEN THOUGH PERES WAS AWARE OF THESE CONTACTS, STRESSED BAVLY, SAVIR IS NOT AN ISRAELI GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL AND THUS ANY MEETINGS HE HAS DO NOT CONSTITUTE AN OFFICIAL CONTACT WITH THE GOVERNMENT OF ISRAEL. IMPLEMENTATION OF THE ROME UNDERSTANDING, WHICH WAS TO BEGIN WITH A CEASE-FIRE FOLLOWED BY MUTUAL RECOGNITION OF ISRAELI AND PALESTINIAN STATES AND SUBSEQUENT BORDER NEGOTIATIONS, WAS REJECTED BY SHARON. BAVLY ADDED THAT, CONTRARY TO WHAT SOME MAY EXPECT, THE EXPOSURE OF THE SAVIR-ABU ALA ROME MEETINGS HAS RECEIVED CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 03 ROME 03370 091535Z LITTLE COVERAGE IN THE ISRAELI PRESS. ¶3. (C) POLOFF ALSO SPOKE WITH PAOLO DIONISI, DEPUTY DIPLOMATIC ADVISOR FOR PM AND ACTING FM BERLUSCONI. DIONISI SAID THAT THE MEETINGS BETWEEN SAVIR AND ABU ALA WERE NOT OFFICIAL IN NATURE AND THAT THE GOI WAS NEVER INFORMED OF THEM. ROME, ADDED DIONISI, IS A NATURAL CHOICE FOR SUCH MEETINGS GIVEN ITS GEOGRAPHICAL PROXIMITY TO THE MIDDLE EAST, THE GOOD RELATIONS THAT THE MAYOR OF ROME HAS WITH BOTH SAVIR AND ABU ALA, AND THE EASE WITH WHICH SUCH MEETINGS COULD GO UNNOTICED IN A CITY THAT SERVES AS HOME AND TRANSIT POINT FOR THOUSANDS OF DIPLOMATS AND PUBLIC FIGURES. ¶4. (C) COMMENT: THE "SECRET" TALKS IN ROME BETWEEN SAVIR AND ABU ALA ARE AN EXAMPLE OF TRACK II DIPLOMACY BETWEEN TWO PEOPLE WHO WORKED WELL TOGETHER IN OSLO AND ARE REPORTEDLY CLOSE FRIENDS. THE MAYOR OF ROME PROTECTED THE "SECRECY" OF THE TALKS TO HONOR SAVIR AND ABU ALA'S WISHES, AND POSSIBLY ALSO IN THE HOPE OF EVENTUALLY EARNING DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION IF THE TALKS BORE FRUIT. END COMMENT. ¶5. (SBU) BIO NOTE: ROME'S MAYOR WATER VELTRONI IS A LONG-TERM CENTER-LEFT POLITICIAN, AND SERVED AS DEPUTY PM IN THE PRODI GOVERNMENT (1996). HE HAS EXTENSIVE INTERNATIONAL CONTACTS, INCLUDING THE TWO PARTICIPANTS IN THE TALKS. HE CONTINUES TO HOLD AMBITIONS FOR HIGH-LEVEL NATIONAL OFFICE, SHOULD ITALY'S CENTER-LEFT AGAIN BE IN A POSITION TO WIN THE CONFIDENCE OF ITALY'S ELECTORATE. END BIO NOTE. SEMBLER CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 04 ROME 03370 091535Z CONFIDENTIAL > 2002ROME03370 - Classification: CONFIDENTIAL