DAMASCUS SEES FLURRY OF VISITS, MEETINGS LINKED TO

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 DAMASCUS 002871

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

PARIS FOR ZEYA, LONDON FOR TSOU

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/14/2016
TAGS: KPAL PREL SY
SUBJECT: DAMASCUS SEES FLURRY OF VISITS, MEETINGS LINKED TO
PALESTINIAN ISSUES

REF: DAM 1853

Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Stephen A. Seche for reasons 1.4 b/d


1. (C) Visiting Palestinian Authority (PA) FM Zahar met June
13 with Syrian FM Mu'allim to discuss the situation in the
Palestinian territories, as well as the Palestinian-Syrian
bilateral relationship, according to the Syrian Arab News
Agency (SANA). The head of the Palestine Liberation
Organization's (PLO) political bureau, Farouk Qaddoumi, also
visited Damascus this week, meeting with several
representatives of Palestinian rejectionist groups. They
asked for his help in postponing the July 26 referendum until
the end of the national dialogue, now expected to start in
Damascus during the first week of July, according to a
regional newspaper. Damascus-based rejectionist groups are
apparently deeply divided among themselves, with most of the
groups seeking to undermine Hamas' power, according to
several diplomats here. We suspect that Syria won't take
action on any requests by visitors that might undermine the
strength of one of its most important foreign policy "cards,"
Hamas. We also suspect that the SARG is happily watching as
visitors come and go from Damascus, signaling once again to
the West Syria's importance as an influential intermediary in
Palestinian affairs. End Summary.


2. (U) Visiting Palestinian Authority (PA) FM Mahmoud Zahar
met June 13 with Syrian FM Walid al-Mu'allim to discuss the
situation in the Palestinian territories, as well as the
Palestinian-Syrian bilateral relationship, according to the
Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA). Mu'allim stressed the need
to continue the Palestinian national dialogue in the interest
of the Palestinian people, according to regional media
reports. Zahar and Mu'allim also met separately with
Damascus-based Hamas leader Khalid Mish'al, who renewed his
rejection of PA President Mahmoud Abbas' (Abu Mazen)
referendum on the "prisoners' document" set for July 26,
according to regional media. Zahar said in Damascus that a
plan to create a Palestinian state alongside Israel would
only "ignite internal strife" among Palestinian factions,
according to an article by the Associated Press. It was
Zahar's second trip to Syria in less than two months (reftel
A).


3. (U) The head of the Palestine Liberation Organization's
(PLO) political bureau, Farouk Qaddoumi, also visited
Damascus this week, meeting with several representatives of
Palestinian rejectionist groups, including the SYG of the
Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP),
Nayef Hawatmeh; the head of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad
(PIJ),Ramadan Shallah; the Damascus representative of the
Palestinian Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP),
Maher al-Taher; the SYG of the Palestinian Liberation Front
(PLF),Abu Nidal al-Ashqar; and the SYG for the Palestinian
Popular Struggle Front (PPSF),Khalid Abd al-Majid.
Representatives of those factions asked Qaddoumi to intervene
with Abbas to postpone the July 26 referendum until the end
of the national dialogue, now expected to start in Damascus
during the first week of July, according to Al-Safir
newspaper. Qaddoumi was also expected to meet with Mish'al,
Al-Safir reported.


4. (C) Egyptian and Saudi envoys have also made unannounced
trips to Damascus in the last few weeks, according to a June
15 Al-Hayat report that suggested without further detail that
these visits were also linked to Palestinian issues. (Note:
An Egyptian diplomat, however, discounted the possibility of
any such visits by Egyptian officials.) The Al-Hayat report
speculated that the SARG was seeking to persuade Hamas to
accept the "Arab Initiative" adopted by leaders of Arab
nations at the March 2002 Beirut Summit, which called for
Israeli steps that would lead to Arab recognition of Israel.
Palestinian sources told Al-Hayat that Palestinian PM Ismail
Haniyeh might eventually accept the Arab Initiative, with its
implicit recognition of Israel, while Hamas' external leaders
such as Mish'al would maintain the movement's ideological
position without a change.


5. (C) Damascus-based rejectionist groups are apparently
deeply divided among themselves. An Austrian diplomat
recounted a conversation from a June 12 meeting with DFLP's
Hawatmeh who asserted that, with the exception of PIJ, the
Damascus-based factions were discussing ways to oppose any
Hamas moves toward an Islamic Palestinian government and a
revamping of the PLO that would permit Hamas' control over
it. Hawatmeh also claimed that all of the Palestinian

DAMASCUS 00002871 002 OF 002


factions, except Hamas and PIJ, wanted to support the
prisoners' document and Abbas' referendum, which they hope
will eventually lead to the demise of the Hamas government,
the diplomat said.


6. (C) There are rumors in Damascus about separate meetings
between Mish'al and three European ambassadors resident in
Damascus. An Arab diplomat told us the ambassadors had
reportedly pushed Mish'al to recognize Israel and past
Palestinian-Israeli agreements. Mish'al was said to have
responded "in a clever way" by asking the ambassadors whether
Israel would recognize Hamas and respect all of Israel's past
agreements, as well as comply with past UNSC resolutions, the
diplomat said. An Austrian diplomat said that she had also
heard rumors of such meetings with Mish'al, adding that "it
wasn't Austria" and that she didn't know which, if any,
ambassadors might have held such meetings. She speculated
that any EU ambassador who met the Hamas leader must have
been acting on instructions from his/her capital because such
a meeting would be a violation of EU policy.


7. (C) Comment: We suspect that Syria won't take action on
any requests by visitors that might undermine the strength of
one of its most important foreign policy "cards," Hamas.
According to the Egyptian diplomat, visiting PA Special Envoy
Ahmad Qureia earlier this month asked President Asad for help
in easing tensions between Hamas and other Palestinian
groups. Asad promised Qureia that he would do what he can,
but SARG officials later hinted to Egyptian diplomats here
that they would not take any steps that would undercut their
relationship with Hamas, the diplomat said. Syrian officials
have also indicated that since Hamas probably cannot
withstand international pressure on it in the long run, they
prefer to keep all of their options open, the diplomat said.
We also suspect that the SARG is happily watching as visitors
come and go from Damascus, signaling once again to the West
Syria's importance as an influential intermediary in
Palestinian affairs. As noted by one long-time Embassy
contact and advocate of back-channel talks between Syria and
the U.S., the SARG would prefer to keep the fires burning to
show that they can be helpful or less helpful, depending on
what it is offered in exchange.
SECHE