BAHRAIN FM DISCUSSES AL MIDDLE EAST PEACE

C O N F I D E N T I A L MANAMA 001638 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/08/2016 TAGS: PREL UNSC BA IS REGION SUBJECT: BAHRAIN FM DISCUSSES AL MIDDLE EAST PEACE MINISTERIAL PROPOSAL REF: A. BAHRAIN 1599 B. SECSTATE 145279 Classified By: Ambassador William T. Monroe. Reasons: 1.4 (B)(D) ¶1. (C) Summary. Bahrain FM Shaikh Khalid told the Ambassador that the Arab League this week fine-tuned its proposal for a Middle East peace ministerial at the UNSC, which it hopes will be held September 21. According to Shaikh Khalid, he will deliver the speech on behalf of the Arab League. It will not be bellicose, and will accept all UNSCRs, endorse the roadmap, and ask the UN Secretary General to consult on how to move forward. No other Arab participants will deliver speeches; the Arabs will be speaking with one voice. He described the proposal, by Arab League standards, as a breakthrough in that it won't be a series of speeches for Arab television audiences telling people how hard they are working for the Palestinians. He urged USG support for it. End summary. ¶2. (C) Bahrain Foreign Minister Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al-Khalifa asked to meet the Ambassador late on the afternoon of September 8, just prior to departing for the NAM Summit and the UNGA, to discuss the Arab League's latest thinking on the proposed Middle East peace ministerial at the UNSC later this month. Shaikh Khalid said that this week's Arab League meeting in Cairo had fine-tuned the proposal in a way that he hoped would be acceptable and positive. He said that the AL ministers agreed that they would not ask for a new UNSC resolution. They would not speak to the UNSC in language that was bellicose or confrontational. They would state their acceptance of all resolutions, especially UNSCR 1515 which embraces the roadmap. They will ask the Secretary General to come back after a certain period on how to move forward, after conducting a wide range of consultations. ¶3. (C) In terms of the actual session itself, Shaikh Khalid said that the Arab participants are not looking for a discussion, but will speak in one voice through one speech which will be delivered by Shaikh Khalid in his capacity as current rotating chair of the Arab League. Bahrain will prepare the initial draft of the speech, in consultation with its Arab League partners. "We will make sure its speaks a language of peace," he stated. "Looking forward, not backwards. Reconciliation with everyone, including the Israelis." It will not, he said, have a new proposal, but rather try to bring us back to where we were. ¶4. (C) Shaikh Khalid said that Qatar formally presented the proposal for the ministerial to the UNSC on September 7, asking that the session be held on September 21. He thought the initial feedback had been positive. "We want you to say yes," he stated. "This is important for you and your allies in the region." ¶5. (C) Shaikh Khalid said that there was some tough talk with the Palestinians in Cairo, telling them that they have to get serious on their internal reconciliation, release the Israeli soldier, and show that they are committed to moving forward. He added that when Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was in Bahrain this week, he spoke optimistically about the possibility of some kind of reconciliation government, and hoped that the Israeli soldier would be released before the meeting in New York. ¶6. (C) In Cairo, Syrian FM Mu'allim stated that he wanted to speak at the UNSC session, but was told no. It was also suggested that Mahmoud Abbas speak, but that was also nixed. It was decided that no heads of state would speak. Similarly, it was not anticipated that any non-Arab FMs (outside the UNSC) would speak. ¶7. (C) Shaikh Khalid said that, by Arab League standards, this proposal was a breakthrough. "It will not be a series of speeches for our own national TVs to tell people how hard we are working for the Palestinians," he stated. "This is serious. We will not condemn anyone. The whole region is at the brink of an abyss. We need to save the region from conflict and terrorism." ¶8. (C) Shaikh Khalid acknowledged that there is a need to sit at the table with Israel. In that regard, he stated that he is planning to meet with Foreign Minister Livni while in New York. ¶9. (C) Comment: We understand that there is less clarity in New York on exactly how this proposed meeting would carry out than is indicated in Shaikh Khalid's presentation. Shaikh Khalid is always positive and forward-leaning on the Middle East peace issue, and this is how he says he sees it playing out. We are not in a position to say if it in fact represents the final word among his Arab League partners. ********************************************* ******** Visit Embassy Manama's Classified Website: http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/manama/ ********************************************* ******** MONROE