MFA DEBUNKS MEDIA REPORT OF PEACE NEGOTIATIONS

C O N F I D E N T I A L TEL AVIV 000209 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/18/2017 TAGS: PREL PGOV IS SY SUBJECT: MFA DEBUNKS MEDIA REPORT OF PEACE NEGOTIATIONS WITH SYRIA CLASSIFIED BY: DCM GENE A. CRETZ, REASON 1.4 (B) (D) ¶1. (U) THE LEFT-LEANING DAILY HA'ARETZ RAN AN EXCLUSIVE FRONT PAGE STORY JANUARY 16 BY VETERAN JOURNALIST AKIVA ELDAR "REVEALING" THAT BACK CHANNEL ISRAELI-SYRIAN NEGOTIATIONS HAD RESULTED IN A DRAFT PEACE AGREEMENT. THESE TALKS, WHICH WERE UNDERTAKEN THROUGH UNSPECIFIED EUROPEAN MEDIATION FROM 2004 UNTIL THE OUTBREAK OF LAST SUMMER'S LEBANON WAR, REPORTEDLY RESULTED IN A FULL-BLOWN DRAFT PEACE AGREEMENT INCLUDING ISRAELI WITHDRAWAL FROM THE GOLAN HEIGHTS COMPLETELY TO THE JUNE 4, 1967 LINES TO BE CARRIED OUT IN STAGES OVER FIVE YEARS, SECURITY ARRANGEMENTS INCLUDING DEMILITARIZED ZONES ON BOTH SIDES OF THE BORDER, AND AGREEMENT ON SHARED USE OF WATER RESOURCES, INCLUDING A JOINT SYRIAN-ISRAELI PARK ON THE BANKS OF THE SEA OF GALLILEE. PRIME MINISTER OLMERT'S OFFICE IMMEDIATELY ANNOUNCED THAT OLMERT WAS UNAWARE OF ANY SUCH NEGOTIATIONS. ¶2. (U) ELDAR WROTE A FOLLOW-UP STORY IN THE JANUARY 17 HA'ARETZ WHICH ASSERTED THAT VICE PRESIDENT CHENEY WAS KEPT FULLY BRIEFED ON THE ALLEGED BACK-CHANNEL ISRAELI-SYRIAN NEGOTIATIONS AND HAD NOT POSED ANY OBJECTIONS. HA'ARETZ SEIZED ON THE REPORT AS THE BASIS FOR AN EDITORIAL BLASTING PM OLMERT FOR CONTINUING TO REFUSE TO EXPLORE THE SERIOUSNESS OF SYRIAN PRESIDENT ASAD'S ALLEGED READINESS TO NEGOTIATE PEACE WITH ISRAEL AND AN END TO SYRIAN SUPPORT FOR TERRORISM IN RETURN FOR THE GOLAN. ¶3. (C) MFA DIRECTOR FOR NORTH AMERICA DAN ARBELL EXPLAINED TO POL COUNS JANUARY 17 THAT THE NEGOTIATIONS WERE THE INITIATIVE OF SWISS FOREIGN MINISTRY SPECIAL ADVISOR FOR THE MIDDLE EAST NICHOLAS LANG AND SYRIAN-AMERICAN BUSINESSMAN ABE SOLEIMAN. ISRAELI FORMER MFA DIRECTOR GENERAL ALON LIEL, A POLITICAL ALLY OF LEFTIST MERETZ PARTY LEADER YOSSI BEILIN, WORKED WITH LANG AND SOLEIMAN ON THE PROJECT, BUT ARBELL INSISTED THAT LIEL HAD BEEN OPERATING ENTIRELY IN A PRIVATE CAPACITY, WITHOUT THE KNOWLEDGE OR ENDORSEMENT OF THE GOI. ARBELL RECOUNTED THAT WHEN LANG FINALLY BRIEFED PM OLMERT'S FOREIGN POLICY ADVISER SHALOM TOURGEMAN ON THE DRAFT "PEACE AGREEMENT," TOURGEMAN CAME CLOSE TO THROWING LANG OUT OF HIS OFFICE. ARBELL DID NOT SPECULATE ON THE EXTENT TO WHICH SOLEIMAN'S ROLE WAS COORDINATED WITH THE SYRIAN GOVERNMENT. ¶4. (C) COMMENT: THIS LATEST EPISODE SHOULD BE SEEN AS PART OF AN ONGOING EFFORT BY SOME EUROPEANS TO PROMOTE THE RESUMPTION OF SYRIAN-ISRAELI PEACE NEGOTIATIONS. IT ALSO UNDERSCORES THE STRONG SUPPORT ON THE PART OF SOME SEGMENTS OF THE ISRAELI POLITICAL CLASS FOR ENGAGING SYRIA, DESPITE THE PRIME MINISTER AND FOREIGN MINISTERS CONTINUED OPPOSITION. HAARETZ JOURNALIST ELDAR PROBABLY WROTE THE STORY IN THE HOPE OF EMBARRASSING OLMERT, BUT AS ONE INFORMED COMMENTATOR NOTED, BY PUBLISHING THE STORY ELDAR ENSURED THAT THIS PARTICULAR UNOFFICIAL BACK CHANNEL WAS SHUT DOWN. WE WELCOME EMBASSY DAMASCUS' ASSESSMENT. ********************************************* ******************** VISIT EMBASSY TEL AVIV'S CLASSIFIED WEBSITE: HTTP://WWW.STATE.SGOV.GOV/P/NEA/TELAVIV YOU CAN ALSO ACCESS THIS SITE THROUGH THE STATE DEPARTMENT'S CLASSIFIED SIPRNET WEBSITE. ********************************************* ******************** JONES