A/S WELCH'S MEETING WITH FM KHATIB

C O N F I D E N T I A L AMMAN 008557 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/22/2016 TAGS: PREL KPAL ELAB IS SY IR JO SUBJECT: A/S WELCH'S MEETING WITH FM KHATIB CLASSIFIED BY: AMBASSADOR DAVID HALE FOR REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D) ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: FM KHATIB RECEIVED SENIOR U.S. OFFICIALS' BRIEFINGS ON BADR BRIGADE DEVELOPMENTS. HE EXPRESSED CONCERN FOR LEBANON'S STABILITY AND FOR SINIORA PERSONALLY. THE FM REAFFIRMED THE GOJ'S COMMITMENT TO ADDRESSING CONDITIONS OF FOREIGN LABORERS, ESPECIALLY IN JORDAN'S QUALIFYING INDUSTRIAL ZONES. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (C) ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF STATE FOR NEA DAVID WELCH, JOINED BY DEPUTY ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT FOR NATIONAL SECURITY AFFAIRS, US SECURITY COORDINATOR LT. GEN KEITH DAYTON, AND AMBASSADOR MET NOVEMBER 16 WITH FOREIGN MINISTER ABDELELLAH AL-KHATIB. JORDANIAN AND AMERICAN NOTETAKERS ALSO ATTENDED. HAMAS AND THE PA -------------- ¶3. (C) WELCH PROVIDED KHATIB WITH READOUTS ON HIS RECENT CONTACTS WITH EGYPTIAN, ISRAELI AND PALESTINIAN OFFICIALS, AND ON PM OLMERT'S VISIT TO WASHINGTON. KHATIB RECIPROCATED WITH AN ACCOUNT OF THE PREVIOUS DAY'S ARAB LEAGUE DISCUSSIONS IN CAIRO. HE DISMISSED THE AL'S CALL FOR ARAB STATES TO HELP THE HAMAS-CONTROLLED ELEMENTS OF THE PA EVADE FINANCIAL SANCTIONS. JORDAN WOULD NOT CHANGE ITS POSITION, AND HE BELIEVED NO OTHER ARAB STATES WOULD EITHER - AND, MORE IMPORTANTLY, BANKS WOULD CONTINUE TO REFRAIN FROM ACTIONS THAT MIGHT JEOPARDIZE THEIR GLOBAL OPERATIONS. ¶4. (C) KHATIB SAID HE FOUND "INTERESTING" PA PRIME MINISTER HANIYEH'S RECENT REMARKS ATTEMPTING TO DRAW A DISTINCTION BETWEEN THE POSITIONS OF HAMAS AS A MOVEMENT AND THOSE OF THE HAMAS-LED CABINET. WELCH AND ABRAMS EXPRESSED SKEPTICISM THAT THE COMMENTS WERE ANYTHING MORE THAN AN ATTEMPT TO OBSTRUCT FORMATION OF A NATIONAL UNITY GOVERNMENT THAT MET QUARTET CONDITIONS. BADR BRIGADE -------------- ¶5. (C) KHATIB ASKED ABOUT THE BADR BRIGADE, AND EXPRESSED CONCERN THAT IT MIGHT BE PERCEIVED AS A JORDANIAN FORCE. GENERAL DAYTON REPLIED THAT THE ISRAELIS, AND THE PALESTINIANS WHO MATTERED, UNDERSTOOD IT WAS PALESTINIAN, AND THAT IT ANSWERED TO ABU MAZEN. RATHER THAN THE UNIT'S IDENTITY, THE PROBLEMS WERE THE NEED FOR: --PROMPT RESUMPTION OF SALARIES FOR BADR PERSONNEL; --A GOOD PLAN FOR DEPLOYMENT; --BRINGING AN ADVANCE PARTY OF BADR LEADERS TO GAZA FOR ORIENTATION AND CONTACT WORK; -- MORE EQUIPMENT AND TRAINING ¶6. (C) DAYTON SAID PROGRESS WAS BEING MADE ON ALL THESE POINTS, AND WOULD BE FURTHER ADDRESSED AT OTHER MEETINGS WITH JORDANIAN AND PALESTINIAN OFFICIALS (SEPTEL). HE WOULD NOT AGREE TO THE UNITS DEPLOYMENT UNTIL IN HIS PROFESSIONAL MILITARY JUDGMENT IT WAS READY; HE WAS OPTIMISTIC THAT IF THE PROBLEMS WERE ADDRESSED - ESPECIALLY FUNDING -- HE COULD GIVE IT A "GO" IN AS LITTLE AS TWO MONTHS. ¶7. (C) RESPONDING TO KHATIB'S COMMENTS ON MEDIA SPECULATION IN THE REGION THAT MAJOR SHIFTS IN U.S POLICIES TOWARD SYRIA AND IRAN WERE COMING, ABRAMS ASSURED KHATIB THAT EVEN AFTER THE RECENT MID-TERM ELECTIONS, THE BASIC U.S. APPROACH TOWARD THESE TWO GOVERNMENTS RETAINED BIPARTISAN SUPPORT. WELCOMING THIS POINT, KHATIB TURNED NEXT TO LEBANON, COMMENTING THAT THE SITUATION WAS NOW BECOMING "SERIOUS" AS THE PARTIES POSITIONED THEMSELVES FOR A POSSIBLE SHOWDOWN IN REACTION TO BRAEMERT'S NEXT MOVES. "WE NEED TO SUPPORT SINIORA; HE IS A TARGET." ABRAMS AGREED, AND STRESSED THAT THE U.S. WAS INTERESTED IN "NO DEALS" ON THIS ISSUE WITH SYRIA. "BRAEMERT FINDS WHAT HE FINDS." LABOR ISSUES -------------- ¶8. (SBU) ABRAMS PRAISED THE GOJ FOR ITS EFFORTS TO ADDRESS REPORTS OF LABOR ABUSES IN ITS QUALIFYING INDUSTRIAL ZONES. NOTING THAT BOTH THE ADMINISTRATION AND CONGRESS WOULD CONTINUE TO PAY ATTENTION TO THIS ISSUE, HE ENCOURAGED THE GOJ TO CONTINUE WORKING TO RESOLVE THE PROBLEM. THE AMBASSADOR ADDED THAT THE GOJ NEEDED TO PROSECUTE VIOLATORS AND PASS NEW LABOR LEGISLATION. KHATIB AGREED. HE REVIEWED THE RECENT VISIT TO WASHINGTON OF MINISTER OF LABOR ZU'BI, AND REPORTED THAT JORDANIAN PROSECUTORS HAD RECENTLY BEGUN PROCEEDINGS AGAINST EMPLOYERS IN FIVE CASES. ¶9. (U) A/S WELCH CLEARED ON THIS MESSAGE. VISIT AMMAN'S CLASSIFIED WEB SITE AT HTTP://WWW.STATE.SGOV.GOV/P/NEA/AMMAN/ HALE