HOLY SEE GEARS UP FOR ISRAELIS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 VATICAN 000090 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR EUR/WE LARREA E.O. 12958: DECL: 5/18/2017 TAGS: PHUM SOCI KIRF IS VT SUBJECT: HOLY SEE GEARS UP FOR ISRAELIS VATICAN 00000090 001.2 OF 002 CLASSIFIED BY: Peter Martin, Political Officer, Vatican, State. REASON: 1.4 (b),(d) -------------- Summary -------------- ¶1. (C) The Holy See will host a May 21 plenary session addressing issues related to the 1993 Fundamental Agreement with Israel. The Vatican still hopes for a breakthrough in the stalemated negotiations, but negotiator Fr. David Jaeger told us he feared that the Israelis would not bend on property tax issues that are central to Holy See concerns. Vatican officials see the successful implementation of the Fundamental Agreement as a key to the survival of Christianity in Israel and the wider Middle East. If there is no progress with the Israelis May 21, the Holy See will likely raise the issue with President Bush when he visits the Vatican June 9. A successful resolution of the issue would serve the interests of all concerned, including the U.S. End Summary -------------- Long-Awaited Plenary -------------- ¶2. (C) The Holy See will host an Israeli delegation May 21 for the long-awaited plenary session addressing issues related to the 1993 Fundamental Agreement between the two sides. The session had originally been scheduled for March, but the Israelis cancelled just a few days before it was to occur. ¶3. (C) The Holy See still hopes for a breakthrough in the stalemated negotiations; this will be the first plenary-level session in five years. But Fr. David Jaeger, the Israeli-born negotiator for the Holy See, told us May 16 he was unsure how much progress would be made. In his eyes a main sticking point is that the Israelis continue to insist that provisions of the Fundamental Agreement are not - and will not be - under the jurisdiction of Israeli courts, even for appeals purposes. Without such "due process", Jaeger says, the Agreement will be worth little as related to tax issues. -------------- Delegation -------------- ¶4. (C) In addition to Jaeger, the delegation from the Holy See will include Undersecretary for Relations with States Monsignor Pietro Parolin, Secretary for the Congregation for Eastern Churches Archbishop Antonio Veglio, Nuncio to Israel Archbishop Antonio Franco, Auxiliary Bishop of Jerusalem Giacinto-Boulos Marcuzzo, and Secretariat of State Director for Israel Monsignor Franco Coppola. An American legal advisor to the Holy See, Henry Amoroso of Newark, is also due to attend. -------------- Comment -------------- ¶5. (C) The Fundamental Agreement continues to be a major issue for the Holy See. Officials see the legal arrangements tied to the Agreement as a key to the ability of Christianity to survive in Israel - and indeed in the Middle East as a whole. Discussing the agenda for the upcoming visit of President Bush to the Vatican, Undersecretary Parolin told the DCM May 18 that if there was no progress with the Israelis at the plenary session, the Pope or Secretary of State Bertone would likely VATICAN 00000090 002.2 OF 002 raise the Fundamental Agreement with the President. Indeed, it is in the interest of all concerned, including the U.S., for the agreement to be fully implemented. Vatican officials are convincing when describing the way a successful resolution of the issue would help safeguard free worship for the Christian community in the Holy Land. What's more, it would remove an irritant to relations between two U.S. allies that play crucial roles in the Middle East and in relations with Islam. ROONEY