NEA DAS GRAY'S NOVEMBER 15 MEETING WITH DEPUTY FM PAROLIN

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E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/21/2016
TAGS: PREL VT
SUBJECT: NEA DAS GRAY'S NOVEMBER 15 MEETING WITH DEPUTY FM PAROLIN


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CLASSIFIED BY: Christopher Sandrolini, Deputy Chief of Mission,
EXEC, State.
REASON: 1.4 (d)

1. (C) Summary. During a November 15 meeting, NEA DAS Gray
discussed Lebanon, Syria, Iran, and the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict with Holy See deputy foreign minister Parolin. Parolin
reminded Gray of the Holy See's great concern for Lebanon, which
it had expressed consistently during the conflict this summer
along with pleas for Israeli moderation. Parolin said Hizbullah
has been strengthened, and he wondered whether assistance funds
are being used properly in Lebanon. Parolin described Syria as
a problematic regime but questioned the wisdom of attempting to
destabilize it. He asked if dialogue could be pursued with
Iran. The Holy See also remains very concerned about the
humanitarian situation facing Palestinians and the lack of peace
in the region; the Vatican favors dialogue, as it always has.
Parolin hoped a creative solution could be found leading to a
way forward there. He also suggested that the USG should
recognize differences between different Hamas leaders, as well
as distinguish between global terrorists such as al Qaeda and
more localized groups such as Hizbullah. DAS Gray responded to
Parolin's points, emphasizing USG commitment to solutions in
each area and dedication to the issues. End summary.


2. (SBU) Ambassador Rooney and Gordon Gray, Deputy Assistant
Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, called on Monsignor

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Pietro Parolin on November 15. Parolin is the Under Secretary
of State for Relations with States (equivalent to deputy foreign
minister). DCM also attended.

Lebanon
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3. (C) Parolin recalled personally expressing to us -- earlier
this year -- the Holy See's great concern over the conflict in
Lebanon and the possibility that Hizballah would destabilize the
Lebanese government. Now it's happened. The Lebanon conflict
had proved counterproductive, as the Holy See had warned,
resulting in great violence, disproportionate use of force, and
the unfortunate strengthening of Hizballah. It had also led to
divisions between Christians. Lebanon is extremely important
for the Holy See, as a moderate society where Muslims and
Christians can coexist peacefully, and the Vatican is committed
to its preservation. Parolin said "we are afraid" about the
future in Lebanon.


4. (C) Gray noted that President Bush's September 19 address to
the UNGA focused mostly on the Middle East, and Secretary Rice
then traveled to the region and consulted widely with Arab
countries, expressing support for Siniora; her interlocutors had
agreed. Gray agreed that anyone perceived to stand up to
Israel, or the US, tended to win applause in the short term in
the Middle East, but it isn't clear that approbation has
persisted in Lebanon. The Saudis had issued a statement
implicitly critical of Hizballah, and Nasrullah had conceded a
mistake in striking Israel. PM Siniora emerged stronger after
the summer. Noting the resignation of six Cabinet ministers
earlier in the week, Gray underscored our concern that the
pro-Syrian faction was trying to block the Hariri investigation.



5. (C) Parolin commented on the swift Hizbullah humanitarian
response after the conflict and wondered whether the
international assistance being provided to Lebanon is being well
monitored with regard to its end use, noting the skepticism in
this regard of the papal nuncio in Beirut. He also asked about
the issues of borders, prisoners, and the Shebaa Farms. Gray
described these as "pretexts" and recalled that a careful UN
study in 2000 had determined that the Shebaa Farms were not, and
had never been, Lebanese territory; the Security Council had
endorsed this conclusion. It remains an open question how
Israel will address the possibility of releasing prisoners, as
well as whether it will consider turning over the Shebaa Farms;
such steps could weaken Hizbullah.

Iran
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6. (C) Responding to a question from Parolin, Gray noted
Secretary Rice's May 31 comment that we were prepared to talk to

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Iran if the EU-3 conditions are met. But Iran has not
responded. Ambassador Khalilzad had also been prepared to talk
with his Iranian counterpart about Iraq, but in this case too
there had been no Iranian response.

Syria
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7. (C) Parolin said it is hardly an ideal regime -- though the
regime behaves reasonably well with regard to Christians -- but
is there an alternative? He suggested it would be unwise to try
to destabilize the Syrian regime until something more stable
appears to replace it. More dialogue is needed, a progressive
attempt to improve the situation. Gray said the USG doesn't

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seek to destabilize Syria, but to change its behavior and end
its meddling in Lebanon and Palestine. We tried to engage on
these two fronts but without success. If Syria signals a
willingness to stop supporting terrorists, we could lift
sanctions. Libya had wisely made this choice.

Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
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8. (C) Parolin stressed the need to resolve the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict and to improve the humanitarian
situation for Palestinians. The Holy See remains committed, as
always, to the path of dialogue.


9. (C) Gray agreed on the importance of addressing the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and cited US dedication to
resolving it. Palestinian rejectionists must choose to renounce
violence and accept Quartet principles. We feel strongly the
need for humanitarian assistance in Palestinian areas. We
pressed for elections there, and they were legitimate. But we
can't let American taxpayer money go to terrorists. Instead we
must find new aid channels to reach needy Palestinians.


10. (C) Parolin cited Archbishop Migliore's (the Holy See
observer at the UNGA) recent call for dialogue without
preconditions. We understand the Israeli point of view, he
said, but we must find a way ahead. He asked whether the USG
saw any differences between various members of the Hamas
leadership. Gray replied that we did not see much variation --
unlike the earlier case where we had seen differences between
the Tunis-based leadership of the PLO and those who remained in
the territories.


11. (C) Parolin wondered if a formula could be created for Hamas
to renounce violence without requiring 100 percent abandonment
of its current position; we must be creative, remembering the
need for Arabs to save face, to have a way out. Gray said Egypt
has been seeking a creative solution. We need something
mutually acceptable. We are pragmatic but not optimistic about
Hamas. One problem is the current weakness of both the Israeli
and Palestinian governments. However, by addressing
Israeli-Palestinian issues we can deprive extremist groups of a
recruiting tool. Parolin said terrorism is not monolithic. Al
Qaeda is a global danger, but elsewhere the problem is more
local; this distinction is important.

DAS Gray cleared this telegram.
ROONEY