ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER OLMERT'S VISIT TO BERLIN

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BERLIN 003517

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/15/2016
TAGS: PREL IS LE SP SY XF GM
SUBJECT: ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER OLMERT'S VISIT TO BERLIN


Classified By: M/C John K. Bauman for reasons 1.5 (b) and (d)


1. (C) (Summary) During Israeli Prime Minister Olmert's visit
to Berlin on December 11-12 he held extensive discussions
with Chancellor Merkel and met more briefly with Foreign
Minister Steinmeier and President Koehler. Most of the
discussions with Merkel took place without any other staff
present. Readouts we have received from German officials and
the Israeli Embassy emphasized that both sides were pleased
with the visit, and that if discussions were "frank" and
"tough" at times, this did not disturb the overall positive
atmosphere. Olmert was particularly impressed with Merkel's
gesture of visiting him in his hotel for three hours on the
night before the scheduled formal meetings. Main discussion
topics were Iran, Lebanon and the Middle East Peace Process.
The meetings did not lead to dramatic new initiatives or
breakthroughs, but did demonstrate agreement on the basic
outlines of the way forward on these issues. Much of the
early press coverage of the visit focused on Olmert's misstep
in a television interview where he listed Israel among the
nuclear states. (End Summary)

Iran


2. (C) According to Israeli Embassy Political Counselor
Jonathon Miller, Olmert was pleased with the extensive
discussions he had with Merkel on Iran. He believes Merkel
will continue to push hard for sanctions and is doing all she
can to keep the P-5 together on this. (Miller said that
Olmert had spoken with Russian president Putin about this on
the phone last week and felt that Putin was prepared to
support some kind of sanctions. The view of the Israeli
mission in NY, Miller said, is that the Russians will, at
worst, abstain on sanctions.)


3. (C) According to German Chancellery Mideast Director
Ludger Siemes, Olmert stressed that German economic interests
in Iran should not overshadow Germany's international
responsibilities toward Israel and as part of the EU-3.
Olmert also made this point publicly in advance of his trip,
which was widely reported. Merkel outlined what Germany was
doing, and said that further measures were difficult in the
absence of internationally agreed sanctions.


4. (U) In the press conference, Merkel said that the EU3 3
had made a good offer to Iran, and that Iran "has not
responded." She said it was time to work on sanctions. The
international community had to do everything possible to stop
Iran's "nuclear option." Military options were not on the
table, in her view, but that made it all the more important
to try every diplomatic possibility and to win as many
partners around the world as possible. "We support the
resolution text that is under discussion right now," she said.

Lebanon and Syria


5. (C) Regarding Lebanon, according to Miller of the Israeli
Embassy, Merkel stressed that the Germans will use their EU
presidency to build as much support as they can for the
Siniora government. Both the Germans and the Israelis, he
said, are worried that if the Siniora government falls UNIFIL
would have to leave because it serves at the request of the
Lebanese government. Merkel also raised the overflights
issue. Olmert told her that the overflights continue but are
strictly focused on operational issues (to gather evidence on
weapons moves) and are not devised to send political signals
that they are "watching how UNIFIL is doing." According to
Miller, UNIFIL has found some weapons caches (sometimes with
help of information from Israelis),and the Israelis continue
to see evidence of weapons being smuggled into the country.


6. (C) According to Chancellery advisor Siemes, Olmert said
that Israel would not stand in the way if there were a
determination that Shebaa Farms were Lebanese territory. But
it is "Syria's move," he said. (Miller told us that the
Israeli government had done some behind the scenes checking
on the possibility of a changed Syrian policy on Shebaa farms
but had not received any new signals.)


7. (C) Merkel reiterated in the press conference that Syria
had to show positive steps before further engagement would be
warranted. Rather than repeat her fairly direct statement
from December 10 that Foreign Minister Steinmeier's recent
trip to Damascus did not bring evidence that Syria is ready
to be constructive (which could be interpreted, upon
repetition, as criticism of FM Steinmeier),Merkel simply
said Steinmeier's trip was useful in establishing whether
there was any interest in Damascus in being constructive. As
with other visits to Damascus, "the result does not give us
any positive signals," she said.


8. (C) When Olmert met with Steinmeier, he told the foreign
minister that Syrian officials will not give a clear answer,
much less a concession, at this time so there is no point in
having dialogue at high political levels with them. At first
the Israelis had "scheduling difficulties" which made it look
like a meeting of Olmert with Steinmeier would not be
possible. Israeli Political Counselor Miller claimed that
the scheduling difficulties were real, and were not intended
as a rebuke to Steinmeier for his trip to Syria. In any
case, according to Miller, the Israelis did not want to look
as if they were getting in the middle of the domestic German
debate on this issue, and eventually an evening
Olmert-Steinmeier meeting was arranged.


9. (C) According to Miller, Steinmeier said that a major
reason he felt he had to make the trip to Damascus was that
he is getting pressure from other European countries to do so
in anticipation of Germany taking over the EU presidency.
(Miller said the Israelis fear that Steinmeier will continue
to stress during the Germany presidency that Germany must be
a "neutral broker" on Mideast issues among competing EU
views.)

Middle East Peace Process


10. (C) Merkel told Olmert that she is looking for ways to
reinvigorate the Roadmap process, but didn't bring any big
new ideas to the table, according to Miller of the Israeli
Embassy. Merkel stressed providing support to President
Abbas. Chancellery Advisor Siemes also downplayed
speculation about a German "initiative" on the Middle East
Peace Process during its EU presidency. They had nothing so
grand in mind, he said. Instead, they wanted to take a
step-by-step approach. While the German ideas are not yet
fleshed out, they will involve getting the EU to speak a
common language in support of the Quartet principles and
engaging with the U.S. to "revive" the Quartet.


11. (C) According to the Israeli Embassy, Olmert said he is
ready to meet with Abbas as long as Abbas has something
important he could deliver (perhaps a prisoner release).
Aides to Olmert are in touch with aides to Abbas on a weekly
basis, according to Miller. But Miller expressed skepticism
about what Abbas could deliver because of lack of support for
him among Palestinians. He said Olmert was pleased with
Merkel's strong support for strict conditions for talking to
a Palestinian government such as recognizing Israel's right
to exist. The Israelis believe Merkel will resist efforts by
other European countries like Spain to water these conditions
down.

TIMKEN JR