MAHMOUD ZAHAR TO GET COLD RECEPTION IN AMMAN

C O N F I D E N T I A L AMMAN 002694

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/16/2011
TAGS: PGOV PREL JO
SUBJECT: MAHMOUD ZAHAR TO GET COLD RECEPTION IN AMMAN


Classified By: Ambassador David Hale, Reasons 1.4 (B) & (D)


1. (C) Foreign Minister al-Khatib informed the Ambassador on
April 16 that he would receive his Palestinian counterpart,
Mahmoud Zahar, on April 19, during the latter's regional
swing. He said Zahar had a mixed delegation, with
representatives of Nabil Shaath's office joining him. Khatib
said he planned to be tough with Zahar. He would inform him
this would be a one-time meeting if the Hamas-led government
did not accept the basic principles laid out by the Arab
League and by Jordan. In private and in public, Khatib plans
to state that the aspirations of the Palestinian people can
be met only through a return to the roadmap and the Arab
peace plan, and by accepting that only peaceful means will
advance Palestinian interests. He will publicly call on the
Hamas-led government to endorse these points.


2. (C) No other government officials will receive the
delegation; the King will be out of town and the Prime
Minister has no intention to meet Zahar. (We can expect
Zahar to have public meetings with Islamic Action
Front/Muslim Brotherhood leaders, however.) The Foreign
Minister confirmed that Jordan had no intention of receiving
Khalid Meshaal. Ambassador repeated points made by A/S Welch
in his recent meetings in Amman, stressing the need to avoid
a situation in which Zahar is able to portray the impression
that Jordan has endorsed his views or that Jordan's reception
of him signals reduced pressure on the new Palestinian
government. Khatib agreed and promised continued complete
transparency on Jordan's approach to the Hamas government.
He noted that given Jordan's demographics and geography, it
could not ignore completely the new Palestinian government.
If, as expected, Zahar fails to accept the points outlined by
Khatib, there will be no point for further dialogue with him;
in that case, Jordan will continue to focus its efforts on
supporting President Abu Mazen and the institutions under his
control.


3. (C) Comment: Any additional guidance should be passed
soonest before the April 19 meeting.
HALE