PA ENVOY VISITS DAMASCUS, FACTIONS REPORTEDLY

C O N F I D E N T I A L DAMASCUS 002668

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

PARIS FOR ZEYA, LONDON FOR TSOU

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/07/2016
TAGS: KPAL PREL SY
SUBJECT: PA ENVOY VISITS DAMASCUS, FACTIONS REPORTEDLY
AGREE ON YEMEN MEETING


Classified By: DCM Kathy Johnson-Casares for reasons 1.4 b/d


1. (C) Summary: Visiting Palestinian Authority (PA) Special
Envoy Ahmad Qureia (Abu Ala'a) met June 5 with Syria's
President Bashar al-Asad, delivering a message from PA
Chairman Mahmoud Abbas and discussing Syrian-Palestinian
cooperation and developments in the Palestinian arena,
according to media reports. There were reports that Qureia
and the head of the Palestine Liberation Organization's (PLO)
political bureau, Farouk Qaddoumi, would meet in a few days
with Damascus-based leaders of Palestinian groups, including
Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ),to reduce tension
between the factions, according to a Al-Hayat newspaper
report. Separately, an Egyptian Embassy contact told us that
all of the Damascus-based rejectionist groups have agreed to
meet in Yemen for a national dialogue, possibly in part as a
precursor to discussions on restructuring the PLO. On a
different note, Damascus-based Hamas leader Khalid Mish'al
recently told Egyptian diplomats that if pressure to topple
his government continued, Hamas would launch an all-out civil
war, an Egyptian diplomatic contact said. Damascus-based PIJ
officials told Egyptian diplomats that they were worried
about an assassination attempt against Abbas, either by Hamas
or renegade Fatah elements, the Egyptian diplomat said. End
Summary.


2. (U) Visiting PA envoy and former Palestinian PM Ahmad
Qureia (Abu Ala'a) met June 5 with Asad to deliver a message
from PA Chairman Abbas (Abu Mazen),according to the to the
official Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA). Qureia and Asad
discussed Syrian-Palestinian cooperation, developments in the
Palestinian arena, and the intra-Palestinian dialogue, SANA
reported. During his visit, Qureia also met with Syrian VP
Farouk Al-Shara'a, SANA reported. Qureia and the head of
the PLO's political bureau Farouk Qaddoumi are expected to
meet in a few days with Damascus-based leaders of Palestinian
groups, including Hamas and PIJ, to reduce tension between
the factions, according to Al-Hayat.


3. (C) In preparation for such meetings, Qureia met during
this trip with the head of the Popular Front for the
Liberation of Palestine-General Command, Ahmed Jibril, the
SYG of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine,
Nayef Hawatmeh, and the SYG for the Palestinian Popular
Struggle Front Khalid Abd al-Majid, according to media
reports. An Egyptian diplomat said he had not gotten direct
confirmation of such meetings but that the groups had
apparently agreed to meet in Yemen for a national dialogue,
possibly in part as a precursor to discussions on
restructuring the PLO. (Comment: We do not know if there is
any connection, but Syria's VP Shara'a met in early June in
Sanaa with Yemeni President Abdullah Saleh, according to
SANA.)


4. (C) On a different note, Hamas leader Mish'al recently
told Egyptian diplomats that if pressure to topple his
government continued, Hamas would launch an all-out civil
war, our Egyptian diplomatic contact said. Mish'al also
expressed unhappiness over the perceived lack of support from
PIJ, the diplomat said. Damascus-based PIJ officials told
Egyptian diplomats here that they wanted to avoid taking
sides in the Hamas-Fatah conflict and warned of the
likelihood of an assassination attempt against Abbas, either
by Hamas or possibly even renegade Fatah elements, the
Egyptian diplomat said.


5. (U) Last week, Mish'al publicly rejected the proposed
referendum on recognizing Israel, as did Damascus-based PIJ
leader Ramadan Shallah, according to the Associated Press
(AP). The Damascus-based head of the Popular Front for the
Liberation of Palestine-General Command said that if such a
referendum were held, Palestinians abroad should be allowed
to participate, the AP reported.


6. (C) Comment: The SARG's confidence has been bolstered in
past months with the formation of a Palestinian government
led by Hamas, which Syria has long supported despite USG
pressure to do otherwise. Despite the fact that Egypt has
long taken the lead on facilitating intra-Palestinian
dialogue, the SARG now seems anxious to ensure that its
"Hamas rejectionist card" is not overly damaged by
intra-Palestinian tensions or by the possible eventual
collapse of the Hamas-led government.
SECHE