Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07ISLAMABAD1815
2007-04-23 13:38:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Islamabad
Cable title:
MUSHARRAF OFFERS TO HELP ON ISRAEL-PALESTINIAN
how-toVZCZCXRO3710 PP RUEHDBU RUEHLH RUEHPW DE RUEHIL #1815 1131338 ZNY CCCCC ZZH P 231338Z APR 07 FM AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8647 INFO RUEHAM/AMEMBASSY AMMAN PRIORITY 0232 RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA PRIORITY 3817 RUEHAH/AMEMBASSY ASHGABAT PRIORITY 2293 RUEHTA/AMEMBASSY ASTANA PRIORITY 0121 RUEHGB/AMEMBASSY BAGHDAD PRIORITY 0272 RUEHKB/AMEMBASSY BAKU PRIORITY 0134 RUEHLB/AMEMBASSY BEIRUT PRIORITY 0155 RUEHEK/AMEMBASSY BISHKEK PRIORITY 4160 RUEHEG/AMEMBASSY CAIRO PRIORITY 0335 RUEHDM/AMEMBASSY DAMASCUS PRIORITY 0583 RUEHDBU/AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE PRIORITY RUEHJA/AMEMBASSY JAKARTA PRIORITY 0399 RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL PRIORITY 7048 RUEHKL/AMEMBASSY KUALA LUMPUR PRIORITY 0735 RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON PRIORITY 5519 RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI PRIORITY 0810 RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS PRIORITY 4676 RUEHRB/AMEMBASSY RABAT PRIORITY 0280 RUEHRH/AMEMBASSY RIYADH PRIORITY 5662 RUEHVJ/AMEMBASSY SARAJEVO PRIORITY 0013 RUEHNT/AMEMBASSY TASHKENT PRIORITY 3026 RUEHTV/AMEMBASSY TEL AVIV PRIORITY 0535 RUEHJM/AMCONSUL JERUSALEM PRIORITY 0341 RUEHKP/AMCONSUL KARACHI PRIORITY 5718 RUEHLH/AMCONSUL LAHORE PRIORITY 2119 RUEHPW/AMCONSUL PESHAWAR PRIORITY 0424 RUMICEA/USCENTCOM INTEL CEN MACDILL AFB FL PRIORITY RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO PRIORITY 2213 RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC PRIORITY RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
C O N F I D E N T I A L ISLAMABAD 001815
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/02/2017
TAGS: IS KPAL PGOV PK PREL
SUBJECT: MUSHARRAF OFFERS TO HELP ON ISRAEL-PALESTINIAN
DISPUTE
REF: ISLAMABAD 1570
Classified By: Charge Peter Bodde 1.5 (b),(d).
C O N F I D E N T I A L ISLAMABAD 001815
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/02/2017
TAGS: IS KPAL PGOV PK PREL
SUBJECT: MUSHARRAF OFFERS TO HELP ON ISRAEL-PALESTINIAN
DISPUTE
REF: ISLAMABAD 1570
Classified By: Charge Peter Bodde 1.5 (b),(d).
¶1. (C) During an April 20 interview with the Al-Arabiya
television network, President Musharraf offered to help
ameliorate the Israel-Palestinian impasse any way he could.
He volunteered to travel to Jerusalem if the parties involved
thought it would be helpful. His offer followed months of
his and senior cabinet officials' warning us that televised
images of violence in the West Bank and Gaza were feeding
extremism and anti-Americanism in Pakistan. In early April,
Musharraf told visiting CENTCOM Commander Adm. Fallon that
the Israel/Palestinian impasse was the "core problem" facing
the Muslim world, including Pakistan. Musharraf was not
convinced Arab states fully recognized the degree to which
problems in the Middle East were impacting non-Arab Muslim
countries.
¶2. (C) (Background: In 2005, Pakistan and Israel publicly
acknowledged working to improve bilateral relations, and
Pakistani Foreign Minister Kasuri met in Turkey with then
Israeli Foreign Minister Sylvan Shalom. The same year,
President Musharraf addressed the annual AIPAC Conference in
Washington. As the security situation in Gaza deteriorated,
any Pakistani outreach to Israel became strictly
off-the-radar. End Background.)
¶3. (C) Comment: Musharraf's offer to travel to Jerusalem
apparently is part of his larger Middle East Initiative,
designed to encourage moderate Muslim nations (Pakistan,
Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Malaysia, Indonesia and Turkey)
to play a more constructive role in lowering instability and
sectarian strife emanating from Iraq, Lebanon, and
Israel/Palestine. Musharraf privately (protect) portrays the
importance of stabilizing those areas as an existential issue
for his administration. Musharraf reportedly has encouraged
a realistic approach to the Israel Palestinian question
during his and other Pakistani officials' meetings with
representatives of Muslim countries. He complained to Adm.
Fallon that some Arab states were failing to take Israel's
needs and interests into account, exacerbating the Israel
Palestinian problem.
BODDE