UN ENVOYS AND GOI DISCUSS UNSCR 1701, DISAGREE ON

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TEL AVIV 003369 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/24/2016 TAGS: PREL MOPS PTER UN LE IS SUBJECT: UN ENVOYS AND GOI DISCUSS UNSCR 1701, DISAGREE ON SHEBAA REF: USUN NEW YORK 1611 Classified By: Political Counselor Norman Olsen; Reasons: 1.4 (B and D) . ¶1. (C) Summary: UN Special Envoy Terje Roed-Larsen and UN Under Secretary General Vijay Nambiar met with Israeli PM Ehud Olmert, FM Tzipi Livni, DefMin Amir Peretz, Vice PM Shimon Peres, PM Chief of Staff Yoram Turbowicz, and PM Prisoners Envoy Ofer Deckel during a visit to Jerusalem and Tel Aviv on August 21-23. Both sides characterized the talks as productive, except on the Shebaa farms, an issue Livni insisted the GOI will not discuss until after the border is demarcated. Larsen urged the GOI to pass any information on attempted resupply by Hizballah to the UN prior to taking military action, while Olmert and Livni cautioned that if the international community fails to maintain an arms embargo, then Israel will enforce one itself. Larsen expressed frustration with the Europeans for failing to contribute troops to an enhanced UNIFIL, while the GOI reiterated its hope that Germany and Spain will assist in actively monitoring the Syrian-Lebanese border. The Israelis expressed appreciation for the UN's efforts to free captured IDF soldiers, despite the lack of progress on the issue. UNSYG Kofi Annan will visit Jerusalem and Ramallah on August 29-30 to discuss UNSCR 1701, but also to seek support for a renewed effort to reach a comprehensive settlement in the Middle East. End summary. -------------- -- Productive UN-Israeli Talks -- Except on Shebaa -------------- -- ¶2. (C) UN officials and Livni's staff both characterized the meetings as productive, with the exception of the Shebaa farms issue. UN staff said that Nambiar had urged the Israelis to withdraw from the Shebaa farms and place the area under UN administration until Syria and Lebanon agree on ownership. In what they called a "very strong message," Livni insisted that there could be no discussion of Shebaa until after the border is demarcated. Livni's staff said she had accused Nambiar of "not working in the spirit of the resolution." -------------- Status of Israeli Blockade -------------- ¶3. (C) According to the UN and GOI, Larsen and Nambiar raised the lifting the Israeli blockade of Lebanon, but did not press the point, except for a request to allow flights into Beirut International Airport. Larsen urged the GOI to pass any information on attempted resupply by Hizballah to the UN prior to taking military action, but the GOI was noncommittal on this point. GOI staffers said both Olmert and Livni cautioned that if the international community fails to take the necessary steps to maintain an arms embargo against Hizballah, then Israel will enforce one on its own. -------------- -------------- UN Frustration with Some European Troop Contributors -------------- -------------- ¶4. (C) The UN staff said that Larsen had been "extremely frustrated" with -- unnamed -- European states for their failure to provide troops for an enhanced UNIFIL. The UN also said that the Israelis are looking to Germany and Spain to provide personnel to monitor the Lebanese-Syrian border and prevent resupply for Hizballah. (Note: FM Livni will travel to Berlin on August 27 to discuss this and other UNSCR 1701 issues with the Germans. End note). -------------- -------------- GOI Pleased with Trilateral Meetings/UN Work on Prisoners -------------- -------------- ¶5. (C) The UN staff reported that trilateral UNIFIL-IDF-LAF meetings are "going well," noting that cooperation continued even after the Israeli commando raid in the Bekaa Valley on August 19. They said that the GOL and GOI still disagree on the justification for such meetings, with Lebanon basing its participation on the 1949 armistice and Israel maintaining that this agreement is no longer valid. ¶6. (C) The UN staff admitted that there is "not much movement" on the issue of the IDF soldiers kidnapped by Hizballah. Livni's staff said that the GOI is generally pleased with the UN's work on the prisoners; Livni told Larsen that the GOI appreciated his raising the issue publicly on August 21 while in Beirut. -------------- --- Annan Visit and a Push for a Comprehensive Peace -------------- --- ¶7. (C) The UN staff said that UNSYG Annan will visit Jerusalem and Ramallah on August 29-30 to meet with Olmert, Livni, Peretz, and Palestinian Authority President Mahmud Abbas. While the trip is intended to focus on UNSCR 1701, the UN staff noted that the prevailing view among UN bureaucrats is that a new and comprehensive initiative must be started to bring peace and stability to the entire region. They quoted UNUSYG Ibrahim Gambari, who told the UNSC on August 22 (reftel) that "the stalled state of the peace process should ... be regarded as unacceptable -- both on its own merits and because of its broader regional implications." ¶8. (SBU) Note: The third member of the UN's Middle East triumvirate, Special Envoy to the Middle East Alvaro de Soto, chose not to interrupt his vacation to attend the talks. End note. ********************************************* ******************** 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