FOREIGN MINISTER EMPHASIZES NEED TO REACH OUT TO

C O N F I D E N T I A L MANAMA 000404 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/01/2017 TAGS: PREL KPAL BA IS REGION SUBJECT: FOREIGN MINISTER EMPHASIZES NEED TO REACH OUT TO ISRAELI PUBLIC ON PEACE CLASSIFIED BY: AMBASSADOR WILLIAM T. MONROE FOR REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D). ¶1. (C) THE AMBASSADOR, IN AN APRIL 30 MEETING WITH FOREIGN MINISTER SHAIKH KHALID BIN AHMED AL KHALIFA, ASKED ABOUT RECENT ARAB LEAGUE (AL) CONSULTATIONS IN CAIRO ON THE PEACE INITIATIVE. NORMALLY OPTIMISTIC, SHAIKH KHALID SAID HE WAS NOT ENCOURAGED BY THE MEETING. THE RESULT, THAT EGYPT AND JORDAN WOULD FORM A DELEGATION TO MEET WITH ISRAELI OFFICIALS ABOUT THE INITIATIVE, WAS DISAPPOINTING BECAUSE THOSE TWO COUNTRIES ALREADY HAVE RELATIONS WITH ISRAEL. HOWEVER, CONVINCING THE OTHER AL MEMBERS OF THE PEACE INITIATIVE COMMITTEE, IN PARTICULAR SYRIA, TO INCLUDE ADDITIONAL COUNTRIES IN THE DELEGATION PROVED IMPOSSIBLE, SO SAUDI FOREIGN MINISTER SAUD AL FAISAL AND EGYPTIAN FM ABOUL GHEIT FOCUSED ON GAINING APPROVAL FOR THE EGYPTIAN/JORDANIAN DELEGATION. "EVEN THAT WAS AN ACCOMPLISHMENT," SHAIKH KHALID SAID. ¶2. (C) SHAIKH KHALID DECIDED NOT TO PARTICIPATE IN THE AL DELEGATION GOING TO MAJOR INTERNATIONAL CAPITALS TO DISCUSS THE INITIATIVE BECAUSE THE THRUST OF THE COMMITTEE'S WORK SHOULD BE ISRAEL. TO MAKE THE JOB EASIER IN WASHINGTON AND BRUSSELS, HE SAID, THE ARABS HAVE TO MAKE MORE OF AN EFFORT TO REACH OUT TO THE ISRAELI GOVERNMENT, PUBLIC AND MEDIA. THERE IS A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN COMMUNICATION AND NORMALIZATION, HE SAID. AT THIS STAGE, COMMUNICATION IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN NORMALIZATION. HOWEVER, OTHER AL MEMBERS EQUATE THE TWO, SAYING COMMUNICATION IS THE SAME AS NORMALIZATION. ¶3. (C) THE AMBASSADOR ASKED ABOUT THE VIEWS OF OTHER COMMITTEE MEMBERS. SHAIKH KHALID SAID THAT HE HAD SPOKEN WITH QATARI PRIME MINISTER/FOREIGN MINISTER HAMAD BIN JASSIM, WHO AGREES ON THE NEED FOR COMMUNICATION, BUT THEY THOUGHT THAT ARAB "POWERS" SHOULD PUSH FOR BROADER ENGAGEMENT. SAUDI ARABIA, SHAIKH KHALID SAID, WOULD NOT ENGAGE WITH ISRAEL "AT STAGE ONE," BUT PERHAPS IT WOULD AT LATER STAGES OF THE INITIATIVE. HE NOTED THAT THE PALESTINIAN REPRESENTATIVE TO THE PEACE INITIATIVE COMMITTEE HAD PROPOSED A MEETING DURING THE NEXT STAGE TO INCLUDE JORDAN, EGYPT, SAUDI ARABIA, MOROCCO, BAHRAIN, THE UAE, PALESTINIANS, AND ISRAEL. BAHRAIN ACCEPTS, THE FM SAID, BUT ACHIEVEMENTS RESULTING FROM THE EGYPTIAN/JORDANIAN VISIT TO ISRAEL ARE WHAT CAN MAKE THE MEETING POSSIBLE. ¶4. (C) PICKING UP ON AN EARLIER POINT, SHAIKH KHALID SAID THAT THERE NEEDS TO BE A GREAT DEAL OF COMMUNICATION WITH THE ISRAELI MEDIA. A YEDIOT AHRONOTH CORRESPONDENT HAD COVERED THE AL SUMMIT IN RIYADH, COMING AS PART OF UN SECRETARY GENERAL BAN'S DELEGATION. THE ISRAELI PUBLIC SHOULD SEE MORE FROM ARAB LEADERS. HE SAID HE IS READY TO MEET WITH ISRAELI MEDIA REPRESENTATIVES TO TALK ABOUT THE INITIATIVE AND HELP WIN THE CONFIDENCE OF THE ISRAELI PUBLIC. ********************************************* ******** VISIT EMBASSY MANAMA'S CLASSIFIED WEBSITE: HTTP://WWW.STATE.SGOV.GOV/P/NEA/MANAMA/ ********************************************* ******** MONROE