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