UNSC: MARCH MIDDLE EAST BRIEFING

UNCLAS USUN NEW YORK 000762

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PGOV UNSC
SUBJECT: UNSC: MARCH MIDDLE EAST BRIEFING



1. (U) In his March 30 briefing to the Security Council on
the situation in the Middle East, Assistant Secretary-General
for Political Affairs Tuliameni Kalomoh discussed the new
Palestinian government, the just-completed Israeli elections,
security issues, the humanitarian situation in Gaza and
developments in Lebanon. Kalomoh said that while the new
Palestinian government shows signs of evolving from Hamas'
deeply disturbing record and covenant, it must reassess its
position on the Quartet's principles and President Abbas'
platform of peace if it is to enjoy strong international
support. Kalomoh noted the so-called "convergence plan"
outlined by Acting Prime Minister Ohlmert during the election
campaign, which calls for withdrawal from parts of the West
Bank and the annexation of major settlements blocks, with the
stated goal of setting Israel's permanent borders by 2010.
Noting that Israeli statements that it would proceed
unilaterally with such a plan should it judge that
negotiations with the Palestinian side were not possible,
Kalomoh warned that unilateral Israeli actions could well
diminish the prospect of a viable Palestinian State in the
framework of a two-state solution should such action cause
Palestinians to believe there is nothing to be gained by
moving toward compromise.


2. (U) On security issues, Kalomoh noted that since the March
14 events at Jericho prison, calm has been restored, although
President Abbas has demanded the immediate return of many of
the prisoners and ISRAEL has indicated that it intended to
hold and try them for their alleged crimes. On the
humanitarian situation in Gaza, Kalomoh described the effects
of the Karni crossing closing, specifically the depletion of
stocks of basic foods and its negative effect on Palestinian
exports, and confirmed the presence of Avian Flu in the
region. On developments in Lebanon, Kalomoh described the
national dialogue begun on March 2 as an historic and
positive achievement, through which Lebanese have addressed
major issues and reached consensus on the international
investigation into the assassination of former Prime Minister
Rafik Hariri; a court of international nature to try the
assassins; rebuilding Lebanese-Syrian relations on a basis of
non-interference and mutual respect with a view to
establishing full diplomatic relations.

Security Council Views
--------------


3. (U) By a previous agreement, the March Middle East
briefing was held as a public meeting, a format that provided
an opportunity for interested parties to address the Council
to express their views on the situation in the Middle East.
In addition to the usual Security Council member's comments,
A/SYG Kalomoh's briefing was followed by statements from
representatives of Palestine, Israel, Lebanon, Syria, the
Arab League, the EU, the OIC, the NAM and the Committee on
the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian
People.


4. (U) For the most part, Security Council reactions and
those of interested parties were moderate in tone. Security
Council members focused their comments on the new Palestinian
government's commitment to the Quartet principles of January
30, 2006, the dangers of Israeli unilateral action, and
humanitarian assistance for the Palestinian people. Eleven
Security Council representatives (U.S., Peru, Greece, Congo,
Russia, Denmark, Slovakia, Japan, France, UK and Argentina)
alluded to the Security Council's expectation that the new
Palestinian government would disavow terror and violence,
recognize the right of ISRAEL to exist and accept previous
obligations and agreements between the parties, including the
Roadmap. At the same time, several Security Council
countries (Peru, Denmark and Argentina) counseled against
unilateral Israeli actions. Most members of the Security
Council expressed concern for the well being of the
Palestinian people and hope that uninterrupted assistance
would continue to be provided by the international community,
though exactly how that is to be done was not clearly
addressed. Ambassador Bolton, per Department guidance, made
the points that Hamas, as the majority party in the new
Palestinian Legislative Council, will have to bear the
responsibility for the decisions it makes, that we will
continue to judge Hamas by its actions, not its words; and
that with the new PA government taking power, U.S. Security
Coordinator General Dayton will have no contact with
Palestinian security forces who report to any members of a
Hamas-led cabinet.

Interested Parties Speak
--------------


5. (U) The statements delivered by the interested parties
were predictable. The Austrian Permrep's statement on behalf

of the EU reaffirmed its support for the Quartet principles,
supported President Abbas' determination to pursue a peaceful
settlement of the conflict with Israel, and urged ISRAEL to
end land confiscations, the construction of the separation
barrier and to reverse its settlement policy. The Arab
League, Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) and NAM
statements were clearly supportive of the Palestinian
position, urging Israeli compliance with UNSCR resolutions,
urging international assistance to Palestinians and calling
for a peaceful, negotiated settlement to the conflict.


6. (U) Israeli DPR Daniel Carmon delivered a statement that
was restrained in its reservations about the Hamas assumption
of the Palestinian Authority political helm, reaffirmed
Israel's commitment to the Roadmap, and expressed a yearning
for a Palestinian partner. Palestinian Permanent Observer
Riyad Mansour, focusing on the needs of the Palestinian
people, said that the Palestinian people must not be punished
for exercising their democratic rights. He noted that
President Abbas has reaffirmed the commitment of the
Palestinian side to all obligations and agreements signed by

the PLO and the Palestinian Authority (PA) since the
elections, including the Roadmap. He also asserted that the
PLO, led by President Abbas, is the sole representative of
the Palestinian people everywhere and therefore the only real
negotiating partner of Israel. In her remarks, Lebanese
Charge Caroline Ziade spoke in support of Palestinian
assistance and against attempts to impose collective
punishment on the Palestinian people for having exercised
their democratic choice. In discussing the achievements of
Lebanon's national dialogue to date, she said somewhat
unexpectedly that agreement had been reached on the need to
recover Sheba'a Farms and other territories occupied by
Israel.
BOLTON