MESSAGE ON HOST COUNTRY MEETINGS WITH HAMAS

C O N F I D E N T I A L VIENNA 000563

SIPDIS

STATE FOR NEA/IPA AND EUR/AGS - VIKMANIS-KELLER

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/23/2016
TAGS: PREL KPAL AU
SUBJECT: MESSAGE ON HOST COUNTRY MEETINGS WITH HAMAS
DELIVERED TO AUSTRIA

REF: STATE 27174

Classified By: Economic-Political Counselor Gregory E. Phillips. Reaso
ns: 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (SBU) EconPolCouns delivered reftel message on February
21 to Klaus Famira, acting European Correspondent in the
Austrian Foreign Ministry, and on February 23 to Ralph
Scheide, the head of the Austrian MFA's Middle East and
Africa Section.


2. (C) CODEL Wexler raised the Hamas issue with Scheide
during a February 23 meeting. Scheide stressed that
Austria's position toward Hamas was clear. Austria and
followed the agreed U.S.-EU stance that Hamas had to accede
to the three guiding principles of recognizing Israel's right
to exist, disarming and renouncing violence, and meeting the
Palestinian Authority's previous commitments, including the
Roadmap. Scheide said it would be important key now to
support Mahmoud Abbas, who had as much of a popular mandate
as Hamas. Specifically, we need to help him take care of
humanitarian needs. In general, Scheide said, Austria and
the EU had to coordinate its position closely with the U.S.
in responding to Hamas.
McCaw