ICRC PRESIDENT MEETS PRIME MINISTER OLMERT

UNCLAS TEL AVIV 003150 SIPDIS SENSITIVE DEPT FOR NEA/IPA; PRM FOR RICHARD GREENE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREF PHUM PGOV IS LE SUBJECT: ICRC PRESIDENT MEETS PRIME MINISTER OLMERT REF: SEPTEL ¶1. (SBU) MFA Director of International Organizations Daniel Meron told poloff August 10 that Prime Minister Ehud Olmert assured visiting ICRC President Jakob Kellenberger earlier that day that the GOI supports ICRC efforts to provide humanitarian assistance to civilians in southern Lebanon. Olmert emphasized, Meron said, that his government will respond to any special requests from ICRC. Meron noted that Olmert gave to Kellenberger the phone number of his personal assistant so that Kellenberger can reach Olmert directly in case of an emergency. Meron also said that Olmert cited the recent example in Houla, where Meron said that the IDF suspended military operations in order to allow ICRC to evacuate and provide medical attention to injured civilians. (See septel.) Meron said Olmert informed Kellenberger that the GOI will allow an ICRC ship full of food and supplies to dock in Tyre. ¶2. (SBU) Meron also explained that ICRC has asked the GOI to renew the practice of permitting family members to visit in Israeli jails those Palestinian prisoners from the Gaza Strip. Olmert informed Kellenberger that the GOI would recommence this practice, which it halted following the June 25 kidnapping of IDF soldier Gilad Shalit. ********************************************* ******************** Visit Embassy Tel Aviv's Classified Website: http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/telaviv You can also access this site through the State Department's Classified SIPRNET website. ********************************************* ******************** JONES