REPORT ON SUPPORTING DEMOCRATIC REFORM AND THE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 JERUSALEM 001851 SIPDIS SIPDIS NEA FOR FRONT OFFICE, NSC FOR ABRAMS/SINGH/WATERS, NEA/PI FOR KIRBY/PATTON E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KWBG PGOV PREL KDEM KMPI KPAO IS SUBJECT: REPORT ON SUPPORTING DEMOCRATIC REFORM AND THE EXPANSION OF FREEDOMS REF: A. STATE 88465 ¶B. STATE 108924 ¶1. (SBU) Summary. Post is supporting democratic reform in the West Bank and Gaza and expansion of Palestinians, personal freedoms through a daily policy dialogue with the Palestinian Authority (PA),programmatic support to Palestinian civil society, and a concerted media campaign. This report offers highlights and an overview of these efforts and plans over the last two months as well as plans to support the upcoming Forum for the Future in December. End Summary. High Level Visitors: Public and Private Messages ¶2. (U) In the last two months, high-level visitors -- including the Secretary, Under Secretary Burns, and Under Secretary Hughes -- have met with Palestinian governmental SIPDIS and civil society leaders. Post has used these visits to reinforce U.S. support for democratic institutions in a future Palestinian state and as opportunities to convey this message publicly. Examples of these efforts include: - During an August 2 visit, the Secretary delivered a message of support for a democratic Palestinian state to the Palestinian President, Prime Minister and full cabinet. At a press conference to announce the $80 million security sector reform assistance, the Secretary emphasized this message to international and local media. - On August 18, U/S Burns conducted interviews with local media outlets, reaffirming the U.S. commitment to Palestinian people achieving a democratic state. The interviews received wide local and international exposure, including rebroadcast on al-Arabiya. - On July 24 and 25, U/S Hughes met with the PA Ministers of Information, Education, Youth and Sports, and the Deputy Minister of Women,s Affairs to underscore the President,s message of support for a democratic Palestinian state. U/S Hughes underscored US support through al-Jazeera and al-Arabiya interviews, as well as through a news feature program on a local news network. U/S Hughes reinforced this message in a speech delivered to leading Palestinian civil society figures at a Consulate hosted reception. - On July 19, Senior Coordinator for International Women,s Issues Bottner met with female Palestinian Ministers and Deputy Ministers and with judges and lawyers to discuss the legal status of women and U.S. support for strengthening women,s political participation in public life. Programmatic Support ¶3. (SBU) Post administers and supports wide-ranging Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) and Public Diplomacy programming that supports the goals of achieving greater personal freedoms and improved democratic systems. Through MEPI programming, we are supporting a portfolio of major programs (totaling more than $13 million in assistance) that will strengthen political parties, enable the broadcast of professional and objective news and feature reporting, and develop an active civil society that advocates for good governance and critical personal freedoms. In addition, Post just administered a successful MEPI small grant competition that will fund six civil society organizations working in different fields, including: preventing honor crimes, protecting minorities, rights, and encouraging volunteerism. Three of this year,s small grants will support NGOs in particularly underserved areas: Hebron and Gaza. ¶4. (SBU) These MEPI programs complement a robust public diplomacy outreach and program campaign on the full range of issues to support the development of a viable, democratic Palestinian civil society. These range from visiting speaker programs and digital video conferences (DVC) with American speakers on a variety of subjects, including a recent DVC with AmeriCorps, Susan Stroud that encouraged youth volunteerism and leadership, to the diverse portfolio of exchange programs that build the skills, networks, and exposure of civil society leaders. Upcoming Plans ¶5. (SBU) With the formation of a PA government under PM Salam Fayyad, we have been able to reengage with PA counterparts. Leading up to the fourth Forum for the Future (FFF),we plan to engage with the Minister of Justice, the Minister of Youth, the Minister of Women,s Affairs, and the Minister of Information on the recommendations of last year,s FFF civil society dialogues. We will report on these meetings in separate telegrams in the months ahead. JERUSALEM 00001851 002 OF 002 DUFFY