MIDDLE EAST PEACE PROCESS: AN UPBEAT ABBAS IN

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 LISBON 002570

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/04/2017
TAGS: PREL PO
SUBJECT: MIDDLE EAST PEACE PROCESS: AN UPBEAT ABBAS IN
LISBON


Classified By: political/economic counselor Matt Harrington for reasons
1.4 (B) and (D).

Summary
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1. (C) During a one-day visit to Lisbon on September 29,
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas met with the
entire senior leadership of Portugal, which currently holds
the EU's rotating six-month presidency. Abbas said he was
encouraged by his talks with the U.S. and others in New York
and reported that his talks with Israeli PM Olmert are going
well. He said the November conference would be crucial in
advancing the peace process and he hoped for broad
participation. He encouraged the EU to express public
support for the ongoing talks and the November conference,
and to send senior visitors to the region as a sign of its
strong engagement. The Portuguese were primarily in
listening mode, and would like to be helpful where possible.
End Summary.


2. (C) Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas stopped
in Lisbon for meetings with Portuguese officials on September
29, on his way back from the UN General Assembly. He met
separately with President Cavaco Silva, Prime Minister
Socrates, National Assembly President Jaime Gama, and the UN
Secretary-General's special representative for dialogue among

SIPDIS
civilizations, former Portuguese President Jorge Sampaio.
Abbas was accompanied by Minister of Information Riad Malki
and members of his negotiating team, Ahmed Qorei and Yasser
Rabo.

Portuguese message
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3. (C) According to MFA Middle East/Maghreb Director Isabel
Pedrosa, all Portuguese interlocutors stressed the following
points in their talks with Abbas:

--they expressed strong support for the current bilateral
talks, noting they had created a positive momentum;
--they underscored the urgent need to make progress;and
--they emphasized the imperative of ensuring the November
conference is a success.

Abbas upbeat
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4. (C) Abbas was very upbeat in Lisbon, Pedrosa told us. He
was clearly pleased with his discussions in New York with the
United States, FM Livni, key Arab leaders, and others and
seemed convinced there is a real chance now to achieve
progress. He said his talks with Olmert are going well and
are focused on securing agreement on a framework document
that would form the centerpiece of the November conference.

November conference crucial
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5. (C) Abbas described the upcoming November conference as
crucial and underscored that the EU has a significant role to
play in laying the necessary groundwork. Specifically, he
encouraged EU leaders and other senior officials to express
public support for the Israeli-Palestinian talks and to
further demonstrate the EU's engagement through frequent
visits to the region. It is essential, he underlined, that
the November conference have a substantive agenda and achieve
concrete results. He hoped there would be very broad
participation and saw possible Syrian attendance as a
positive. He expressed concern that the Saudis might be
reluctant to engage after the failure of their initiative and
thought it important they be reassured they remain key
players in this process.


6. (C) The Palestinian Authority President said the
conclusions/objectives agreed in November would subsequently
be subjected to the approval of all Palestinians in a
referendum. He acknowledged that that would not be an easy
effort.
Comment
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7. (C) In their capacity as EU president, the Portuguese

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viewed Abbas's visit, his first to Lisbon, primarily as an
opportunity to hear his views on the latest developments and
to stress the importance of concrete progress in the peace
process. Our interlocutor seemed struck by Abbas's optimism,
his apparent belief that real progress seems possible at the
moment.
Hoffman