JORDAN TO HOST SECOND MEETING WITH GENEVA ACCORD

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 006575 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/05/2014 TAGS: PREL PGOV KPAL IS JO SUBJECT: JORDAN TO HOST SECOND MEETING WITH GENEVA ACCORD SUPPORTERS REF: A. AMMAN 6545 ¶B. 03 AMMAN 8122 ¶C. 03 AMMAN 7232 Classified By: CDA David Hale for reasons 1.5 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) Summary: Palestinian and Israeli supporters of the Geneva Accord will convene in Jordan August 5-6 in the hopes of gaining momentum for their unofficial peace initiative. Foreign Minister Muasher will speak at the opening of the meeting, and Jordanian officials say they hope the effort will help revive the stalled peace process. Especially important to the GOJ, according to MFA officials, is ensuring that Jordan's interests are not sidelined, particularly on the right of return. Commenting on the controversy surrounding the King's remarks to al-Arabiya about the Palestinian leadership, an MFA official noted that the King's message is consistent with longstanding views often expressed in private to U.S. and other officials. The GOJ feels that now is the time to address these important concerns publicly, particularly at this critical stage in the conflict. End Summary. -------------- -------------- GENEVA ACCORD SUPPORTERS TO CONVENE AT THE DEAD SEA -------------- -------------- ¶2. (C) Jordan will host a weekend retreat at the Dead Sea beginning August 5 with notable Israeli and Palestinian supporters of the Geneva Accord. Foreign Minister Muasher will address the gathering at the outset, according to MFA official Ashraf Zeitoon. The schedule will be structured similarly to the event the GOJ hosted in October 2003 to unofficially unveil the Accord (ref C),and MFA officials may moderate some of the panel discussions. Zeitoon said the effort is designed to help breathe new life in the stymied peace process and build momentum that can be carried back to the participants' respective communities. He added that Yossi Beilin will attend the meeting in addition to a wide-cross section of Palestinian principals and grassroots supporters. ¶3. (C) Zeitoon explained the GOJ agreed to host the meeting because Jordan has an important role to play in the peace process and is committed to exerting all efforts to revive it. Referring to the numerous public statements by GOJ officials about the festering Palestinian-Israeli crisis this week, including the King's al-Arabiya interview (ref A) and FonMin Muasher's interview with Haartez (during which he emphasized Israel's security barrier endangered Jordan's national security),Zeitoon noted that Jordan wants to drive home the message that significant attention must be given to the situation, adding that the Palestinian-Israeli crisis is at a critical stage. He emphasized that Jordanian is directly and intimately affected by developments in the Palestinian arena, and the GOJ refuses to allow Jordan's interests to be sidelined, particularly when it comes to determining the final status of Palestinian refugees. The Palestinians have "hijacked" the refugee issue for too long, he added. -------------- MFA: KING'S MESSAGE REFLECTS LONG-HELD VIEWS -------------- ¶4. (C) Regarding the controversy surrounding the King's al-Arabiya's interview, Zeitoon said that he and other colleagues at the MFA were taken aback by the initial press reports because they had spent considerable time writing the talking points for the interview. Upon reviewing the full transcript of the King's comments, he said: "I was relieved to find it was the press that was confused, and it wasn't our talking points that were the problem!" He added: "This is not a new message, it is something we have been saying in private for months -- to you, to the UN, to the EU countries. It is time we took the message public; it is important and it needs to be said." -------------- COMMENT -------------- ¶5. (C) Jordan's anti-normalizers -- including the Professional Associations and the Muslim Brotherhood -- geared up in December 2003 to protest the Geneva Accord when it was officially unveiled in Switzerland, mainly because they believed it intended to compromise the Palestinians' right of return (ref B). At that time, the GOJ finally broke its silence and publicly voiced support for the initiative. Given the current political climate in Jordan, we expect the opposition to pick up where they left off last year. Visit Embassy Amman's classified website at http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/amman/ or access the site through the State Department's SIPRNET home page. HALE