SPAIN ON HAMAS-FATAH AGREEMENT ON NATIONAL UNITY

C O N F I D E N T I A L MADRID 000225 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/08/2017 TAGS: KISL KPAL KWBG PREL SP SUBJECT: SPAIN ON HAMAS-FATAH AGREEMENT ON NATIONAL UNITY GOVERNMENT REF: STATE 16453 CLASSIFIED BY: DCM HUGO LLORENS; REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D) ¶1. (C) POLOFFS RELAYED REFTEL POINTS TO MFA SUBDIRECTOR GENERAL FOR THE MIDDLE EAST ALBERTO MORENO AND TO MFA SUBDIRECTOR GENERAL FOR FOREIGN POLICY CARLOS FERNANDEZ ARIAS (IN THE OFFICE OF DIRECTOR GENERAL FOR FOREIGN POLICY RAFAEL DEZCALLAR) ON THE USG'S DESIRE TO COORDINATE ON A RESPONSE PRIOR TO THE FEBRUARY 12 GAERC. FERNANDEZ ARIAS SAID THAT IT WAS LIKELY TOO LATE TO ORGANIZE FORMAL ACTION ON THIS ISSUE AT THE GAERC (ALSO REPORTED SEPTEL). HOWEVER, MORENO SAID THAT THE UK, FRENCH, GERMAN, ITALIAN, AND SPANISH FOREIGN MINISTRIES HAD DISCUSSED THIS ISSUE EARLY ON FEBRUARY 9 AND AGREED TO RESPOND POSITIVELY TO THE REPORTS OF A HAMAS-FATAH AGREEMENT ON THE FORMATION OF A NATIONAL UNITY GOVERNMENT. MORENO SAID HE HAD PREPARED TALKING POINTS FOR FM MORATINOS TO RESPOND ON AN "IF ASKED" BASIS, BUT SAID HE WAS NOT CERTAIN WHETHER THE SPANISH GOVERNMENT OR THE EU WOULD ISSUE AN OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE ON THIS MATTER. ¶2. (C) MORENO EMPHASIZED THAT A POSITIVE REACTION TO THE REPORTS ON THE PART OF EU GOVERNMENTS DID NOT IMPLY THAT SPAIN OR ANY OTHER EU MEMBER WAS PREPARED YET TO MEET WITH PALESTINIAN GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS. HE ALLOWED THAT THE SPANISH PUBLIC RESPONSE COULD BE "SLIGHTLY MORE POSITIVE" THAN THAT OF OTHER EU MEMBERS, BUT THAT IT WOULD FALL WITHIN THE PARAMETERS COORDINATED WITH FRANCE, THE UK, GERMANY, AND ITALY. MORENO SAID THE KEY POINTS OF PUBLIC SPANISH STATEMENTS ON THIS ISSUE WOULD BE AS FOLLOWS: -- SPAIN WELCOMES THE REPORT THAT PALESTINIAN REPRESENTATIVES HAVE REACHED AGREEMENT ON THE FORMATION OF A NEW GOVERNMENT; -- SPAIN HOPES THIS DEVELOPMENT WILL GENERATE A NEW POSITIVE DYNAMIC IN THE REGION; -- SPAIN IS CONFIDENT THAT THIS DEVELOPMENT WILL SOON ALLOW THE EU AND THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY TO SIT DOWN WITH REPRESENTATIVES OF A NEW PALESTINIAN GOVERNMENT. AGUIRRE