PAKISTAN VOTES FOR ISRAELI-SPONSORED UN RESOLUTION

C O N F I D E N T I A L ISLAMABAD 005263 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/13/2017 TAGS: PGOV PK IS UNGA PREL SUBJECT: PAKISTAN VOTES FOR ISRAELI-SPONSORED UN RESOLUTION Classified By: Anne W. Patterson, Reasons 1.4 (b),(d) ¶1. (C) Summary. We welcome Pakistan's December 11 UNGA vote in favor of an Israeli-sponsored resolution; however, the MFA was quick to stress privately and publicly that the vote was a reflection of Pakistan's support for the content of the resolution and should in no way be interpreted as a policy shift on the Arab-Israeli conflict. End Summary. ¶2. (U) After Pakistan voted December 11 for an Israeli-sponsored resolution on agriculture technology and development, post contacted the MFA to express our appreciation. Fawad Sher, the MFA Deputy Director for UN and International Organizations told poloff that the reason Pakistan voted for this resolution was because it was development-based and did not involve the Arab-Israeli conflict or related politics. ¶4. (U) Supporting Sher's position, MFA spokesman, Mohammad Sadiq, commented to local media December 12 that this vote for agriculture development does not change Pakistan's policy on Israel. In reference to the vote, Sadiq noted, "Nobody should try to read something between the lines because nothing substantial has changed." ¶4. (C) Comment: Although we welcome the vote, we caution that it should not be viewed as a shift in Pakistan's attitude toward the Arab-Israeli conflict. We expect Musharraf himself will continue to support the kind of quiet diplomacy that was brokered by Turkey when the Pakistani and Israeli foreign ministers met in 2005. However, President Musharraf's Pakistan Muslim League party issued this week its party manifesto, which on foreign policy follows the standard Islamic line--support for the establishment of a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital. End comment. PATTERSON