UNSC: MECCA AGREEMENT AND TEMPLE MOUNT

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SIPDIS

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SUBJECT: UNSC: MECCA AGREEMENT AND TEMPLE MOUNT


1. Summary: In the monthly Security Council briefing on the
Middle East held February 13, UNSCO Alvaro de Soto said that
the Mecca agreement and recent international initiatives to
re-energize the peace process, especially the commitment of
the Quartet partners, showed "potential" for progress.
Challenges to that progress, however, include continued
violence among Palestinians and between Palestinians and
Israelis; Palestinian institutions weakened by a Palestinian
fiscal crisis; and Israel's continued settlement and barrier
construction activities. In their comments, Council members
commended the Quartet and Secretary Rice for their respective
efforts to date and acknowledged the Mecca agreement. Some
members suggested that the agreement was sufficient to merit
the resumption of direct financial assistance to the
Palestinians; others said they would await action by the new
Palestinian National Unity Government in accordance with
Quartet principles. Council members also expressed their
concerns about the threat to the cessation of hostilities
between Lebanon and Israel posed by the February 7 LAF/IDF
Blue Line incident and the negative reaction provoked by the
Israeli excavations at the Temple Mount. In addition to
presentations by the Security Council, 20 other states spoke.
The majority criticized the impact and significance of the
Israeli excavations at the Temple Mount. Most speakers
condemned the February 13 bus bombings. End Summary.

De Soto: Potentials for Progress and its Challenges
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2. In his February 13 "Briefing to the Security Council on
the Situation in the Middle East," United Nations Special
Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process (UNSCO) Alvaro
de Soto said that the February 2 Quartet meeting, the recent
Mecca agreement, the February 19 trilateral meeting convened
by Secretary Rice, and the Quartet meeting in Berlin on
February 21 are signs of "potential" for progress. At the
same time, he identified ongoing violence, the weakened state
of Palestinian institutions and the Palestinian economy, and
continuing Israeli settlements and construction of the
separation barrier as challenges to that progress. De Soto
discussed the "potential" of a "commissioning letter"
President Abbas is planning to send to Prime Minster Hannieh
as part of the formation of a new government that will meet
certain international requirements. But he cautioned that
the Mecca agreement "has other aspects that needed to be
examined, has yet to be implemented and had not been the
subject of full discussion among Quartet partners" to date.
He noted that the Quartet had recently reaffirmed its support
for a government committed to no-violence, recognition of
Israel, and the acceptance of previous agreements and
obligations, including the Roadmap. On the February 19
trilateral meeting, de Soto quoted Secretary Rice's remark
that the goal is "to have discussions about the broad issues
on the horizon so that we can work on the Road Map and try to
accelerate the Road Map and move toward the establishment of
a Palestinian state."


3. De Soto said that there are three primary challenges to
progress. The first is violence, including both Palestinian
factional violence such as the violence generated by
struggles between partisans of Hamas and Fatah, and
Israeli-Palestinian violence, which includes suicide bombings
and tensions over the Israeli construction of a new walkway
at the Temple Mount. A second set of challenges, de Soto
said, involves the Palestinian economy, which is hampered by
patchy implementation of the Agreement on Movement and
Access, and Palestinian institutions such as schools,
hospitals and ministries, which have been weakened by the
Palestinian fiscal crisis. De Soto said a third set of
challenges result from Israel's continued failure to remove
settlement outposts, and its continued settlement activity
and barrier construction, notwithstanding provisions of the
Fourth Geneva Conventions and the advisory opinion of the
International Court of Justice (ICJ).


4. On Lebanon, de Soto reported that morning's (February 13)
double bus bombing in Beirut, the continuing domestic
political impasse, Arab League efforts at mediation and the
UN's recent appointment of an UNSCO, Geir Pederson, for
Lebanon. De Soto provided details of the February 7 LAF/IDF
Blue Line incident as an illustration of the continued
volatility of the situation in southern Lebanon. He
concluded: "The firing by the LAF constituted a violation of
resolution 1701 and a breach of the cessation of hostilities
agreement. The IDF also violated resolution 1701 by crossing
the Blue Line. The exchange of fire posed a threat to the
lives of UNIFIL troops patrolling in the area." Finally de
Soto reported the February 6 UN-Lebanese Republic agreement
on the Establishment of a Special Tribunal for Lebanon,
noting that the UN remained hopeful that "the Lebanese
institutions will be able to perform their tasks and

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responsibilities on the way to the establishment of the
Tribunal."

Security Council Members Comments
--------------


5. In their comments, Security Council members spoke mainly
on four issues: the Mecca agreement, Israeli excavations at
the Temple Mount, the February 7 LAF/IDF Blue Line incident,
and recent and future diplomatic initiatives to reinvigorate
the peace process. Every delegation acknowledged the
potential significance of the Mecca agreement. Qatar, South
Africa and Congo welcomed the decision by Fatah and Hamas to
form of National Unity Government (NUG) and said the parties
had made concessions sufficient to merit the end of the
international financial blockade against the Palestinian
people. France acknowledged the agreement as a step in the
right direction; UK said it was awaiting the details of the
agreement and looked forward to engaging with a government
based on the Quartet principles.


6. South Africa, supported by Ghana, Qatar and Indonesia,
articulated the complaint against the Israeli excavations at
the Temple Mount: they constitute a unilateral action that
could prejudge final status negotiations. They also argued
that the excavations threatened the collapse of the holy site
above it, the Al-Aqsa Mosque. Russia counseled Israel to
restrain from taking unilateral steps that would change the
status quo; Panama urged Israel, irrespective of reasons for
the excavations, to consider the political consequences of
its acts. Council members expressed general support for
recent and contemplated U.S. and Quartet efforts to
reinvigorate Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. France called
for an international conference to support the process and to
provide guarantees. Most Council members regretted the
February 7 LAF/IDF Blue Line incident, worried that it
threatened the cessation of hostilities, and cautioned Israel
and Lebanon to exercise maximum restraint.


7. Per Department provided points, Ambassador Wolff reviewed
recent significant developments: Secretary Rice's productive
meetings with Prime Minister Olmert and President Abbas in
January, the February 2 Washington-hosted Quartet principals
meeting, Secretary Rice's February 9 discussions with Quartet
counterparts. He also cited Secretary Rice's trilateral
meeting with Abbas and Olmert on February 19 and the Quartet
meeting scheduled for Berlin on February 21. Ambassador
Wolff commended Saudi King Abdullah's efforts to bring an end
to violence between Palestinians and said the U.S. would
continue to assess the outcome of the meetings in Mecca,
looking closely at implementation to ensure that the three
Quartet principles are met. On the strong reaction to
construction of the ramp at the Temple Mount, he urged the
parties to exercise great care when deciding whether and how
to engage in any activity near religious sites, called for
appropriate rhetoric in dealing with the issue, and advised
the need to focus on facts. On Lebanon, Ambassador Wolff
expressed strong U.S. condemnation of the February 13
terrorist attack in Beirut, and, referring to the February 7
incident on the Blue line and the anniversary of the death of
Rafiq Hariri, underscored the need for the parties to
exercise restraint. He reiterated strong U.S. support for
the UN International Independent Investigation Commission and
our desire for to the timely establishment of an
international tribunal. Finally he noted U.S. concern about
reports of continued shipments of arms to Hizballah and other
armed groups.

Open Debate: Palestine and Israel, Lebanon and Syria
-------------- --------------


8. Twenty countries, several speaking on behalf of regional
organizations, and the Chair of the Committee on the Exercise
of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, also
delivered statements. Speaking for the Palestinians,
Permanent Observer Riyad Mansour reviewed President Abbas'
plans, following the Mecca agreement, to guide the future
formation of a national unity government so as to provide for
the lifting of "the financial blockade" imposed on the
Palestinian people. He also looked forward to the February
19 trilateral meeting, during which both practical issues
such as prisoner releases and the release of tax revenues and
political process issues such as final status talks would be
addressed. Finally Mansour characterized Israel's
construction activity at the Temple Mount as illegal,
politically motivated and extremely explosive. He said the
activity endangered the sanctity, integrity and foundations
of the Al-Aqsa Mosque. He further asserted that Israeli
forces had used excessive force against Palestinians during a
February 9 incident at the Al-Aqsa Mosque and reminded that
previous dangerous actions there had ignited the 2000

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Intifada.


9. Addressing the Mecca agreement, Israeli PR Gillerman
reminded the audience that the international community had
clearly determined that any Palestinian government would have
to fully adopt the three Quartet principles and that this
requirement is not negotiable. Yet, he continued, only
recently a Hamas spokesman had said, "the agreement reached
in Mecca does not mean recognition of the Israeli entity...it
is a non-recognition of the legitimacy of the Zionist
movement." Gillerman added that the Mecca agreement did not
condemn violence and terrorism either. Gillerman also
provided a lengthy explanation for Israeli excavations at the
Temple Mount, arguing that the situation had been blown out
of proportion. He said that the work was taking place in
full transparency, with sensitivity, in accordance with
various antiquities and in coordination with various
religious authorities to ensure the safety of visitors. Far
from causing damage to Al-Aqsa as some have charged,
Gillerman asked what the world would say if Israel allowed
the ramp being repaired to collapse.


10. Speaking for Lebanon, Charge Caroline Ziade said the
double bus bombing that had occurred that morning was
indicative of the instability in the region and said that
Prime Minister Siniora has requested UNIIIC technical
assistance to investigate this act of terror. Ziade
criticized Israeli excavation activity at the Temple Mount
and provided the Lebanese perspective of the February 7
LAF/IDF incident along the Blue Line, asserting that Israeli
armed force had provoked the incidents by not resorting to
coordination and liaison channels. Syrian PR Bashar Ja'afari
devoted most of his statement to making the case that Israel
has systematically defied the UN and the international
community by confiscating territory -- Syrian, Lebanese and
Palestinian -- and that the most recent manifestation of this
trend was Israel's construction activities at the Al-Aqsa
Mosque. In its defiance of the international community,
Ja'afari noted, a superpower (the US) and its "44 vetoes" had
been complicit.

Open Debate: Arab Group, EU
--------------


11. Speaking for the Arab Group, Kuwaiti PR Abdullah Al Murad
commended the Mecca agreement and hoped that an effective
national unity government would soon be formed. He delivered
a lengthy objection to Israeli excavation activities at the
Temple Mount, citing international law. He warned that the
Arab Group reserved the right to raise the issue again should
Israel continue its "illegal excavations." Speaking for the
EU, German PR Thomas Matussek emphasized the Quartet's
intention to remain closely engaged with the peace process.
Additionally he said that the EU fully supported the
forthcoming trilateral meeting to be hosted by Secretary
Rice. He said the EU welcomed the Mecca agreement on the
formation of a Palestinian national unity government and that
it stood ready to work with a legitimate Palestinian
government that adopted a platform reflecting the Quartet
principles. On Lebanon, the EU welcomed the Paris III
meeting that resulted in USD 7.6 million in pledges for
Lebanese support of which moneys EU countries provided forty
percent.

Other Statements
--------------


12. Cuba, speaking for the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM),
expressed its support for Palestinian President Abbas'
rejection of a proposal for a Palestinian state with
provisional borders, adding that that NAM also rejected any
attempts to alter the terms of reference of the peace process
and the imposition of unilateral measures by Israel. The NAM
also condemned Israeli excavation activities at the Temple
Mount as "a provocation to the feelings and sentiments of
more than one billion Muslims in the world." Cuba
specifically attributed the Security Council's failure to act
against Israel to the "31 vetoes" the US has cast on the
resolutions related to the question of Palestine, calling the
vetoes an undemocratic and obsolete privilege. Iran
expressed delight at the Mecca agreement and the imminent
formation of a Palestinian national unity government,
condemned Israeli excavation activities at the Temple Mount
and blamed "one country" from preventing the Security Council
from taking action against Israel, which is "the greatest
threat to international peace and security." In its
statement, Japan said it is working on the concept of a
"Corridor of Peace and Prosperity," a development plan for
the Jordan Valley which will involved regional cooperation
among Israel, Palestine and Jordan. Several speakers --
Morocco on behalf of the Al Quds Group, Azerbaijan on behalf

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of the OIC, Pakistan, Jordan and Bangladesh -- devoted the
majority of their statement to various concerns related to
Israeli excavations at the Temple Mount.
WOLFF