ABU ALA'A TO MEET WITH EGYPT'S SULAYMAN, LOOKING

C O N F I D E N T I A L JERUSALEM 001804 SIPDIS SIPDIS NEA FOR FRONT OFFICE, NSC FOR ABRAMS/SINGH/WATERS E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/27/2017 TAGS: KWBG PGOV PREL EG IS SUBJECT: ABU ALA'A TO MEET WITH EGYPT'S SULAYMAN, LOOKING TO LEAD PA SECURITY DELEGATION Classified By: Acting Principal Officer Thomas M. Duffy, for reasons 1. 4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) Palestinian Authority (PA) security contacts say Fatah Central Committee (FCC) member and former PM Ahmad Quraya' (Abu Ala'a) left Ramallah August 26 to meet with Egyptian Intelligence Chief Omar Sulayman in Cairo on Palestinian security matters. Contacts say PA President Mahmud Abbas (Abu Mazen) tapped Abu Ala'a as a Presidential envoy for some security matters, but did not specify the length of the appointment or his mandate. ¶2. (C) Security contacts add that Abu Ala'a wants to be the PA representative at planned 5-party security talks in September between the PA, Jordan, Egypt, the U.S. and Israel. President Abbas has not yet decided on representation for this conference, contacts report. Comment -------------- ¶3. (C) A significant role for Abu Ala'a in security affairs will complicate USG efforts to reform the PASF and to encourage enhanced Palestinian-Israeli security coordination. The USG effort is to build the MoI as the primary institution for security reform and strategic planning, and introducing Abu Ala'a into this arena risks undermining the MoI (and by extension, PM Salam Fayyad) as the security address. DUFFY