SPECIAL ENVOY GENERAL JONES' CAIRO MEETINGS JUNE 12

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 CAIRO 001291 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR NEA FO AND NEA/IPA NSC FOR PASCUAL E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/22/2018 TAGS: PARM PREL KPAL IS EG SUBJECT: SPECIAL ENVOY GENERAL JONES' CAIRO MEETINGS JUNE 12 REF: A. CAIRO 856 ¶B. STATE 34850 Classified By: DCM Stuart Jones for reason 1.4 (b). ¶1. (S) Summary: Special Envoy for Middle East Regional Security General James Jones (Ret.) met June 12 with Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit, EGIS Chief Omar Soliman and Assistant Minister of Defense for Policy MG Mohammed Al-Assar to discuss his mission. General Jones explained that he is responsible for assessing U.S. and international assistance to develop the Palestinian Security Forces (PSF),and for examining regional security requirements in the context of a two-state solution. He described efforts in the Jenin area to demonstrate PSF capabilities, foster development and improve the rule of law. FM Aboul Gheit cautioned against focusing on regional security, at the expense of specific Israeli-Palestinian issues. He doubted that Israel is ready to relinquish control over the Palestinians. EGIS Chief Soliman laid out current GOE strategy to achieve a "calming" between Israel and Gaza, bolster PA President Abbas, and integrate the West Bank and Gaza. He said Egypt has discussed with the Arab League the idea of an Arab peacekeeping force for Gaza. End summary. ¶2. (C) General Jones explained his mission to his interlocutors: assessing U.S. and international efforts to assist PSF development, and examining regional security requirements for an eventual Palestinian state. Jones said the U.S. is working with the EU and the Blair Mission to improve security, economic development and rule of law in the West Bank, starting with the Jenin area, before expanding these projects elsewhere in the West Bank. General Jones underscored that the U.S. believes Israel, Jordan and Egypt should begin to think about security in strategic, regional terms, as the U.S. thinks progress toward Israeli-Palestinian peace should be seen in the context of regional security. Jones noted that the U.S. is looking carefully at Israeli concerns about security, balanced against the Palestinian need for sovereignty. The General said that Jordan and the Palestinians believe there could be a peacekeeping role for a third party such as NATO, the EU or the UN. -------------- Foreign Minister Aboul Gheit -------------- ¶3. (C) Aboul Gheit cautioned against pursuing regional security arrangements in the absence of a "clear cut" Israeli-Palestinian final status agreement. He recommended the General focus his mission specifically on resolving issues between the Israelis and the Palestinians. The Middle East is "not ready" for Israel to be integrated into a regional security framework, Aboul Gheit asserted, assessing that this would only be possible following a comprehensive peace settlement. The Minister doubted that Israel is ready to relinquish control over the Palestinian territories. He described Israel as "haggling" over how much territory it "can grab forever," especially in and around Jerusalem, under the pretext of "settlements and historical rights." ¶4. (C) In response to General Jones' question on a possible role for international forces, Aboul Gheit speculated that Jordan and Egypt could probably accept the deployment of UN and possibly NATO peacekeeping forces in the West Bank, and Arab peacekeeping forces in Gaza. However, he predicted that Israel would reject such arrangements in order to maintain a "free hand" to conduct raids into the Palestinian territories. MFA Senior Advisor and Spokesman Hossam Zaki suggested that the U.S. focus on Palestinian security, as well as Palestinian sovereignty. Aboul Gheit recommended the General return to Cairo to meet with President Mubarak, and with an Egyptian team to discuss parameters for Israeli-Palestinian security. The General said he would be interested in such meetings. -------------- EGIS Chief Soliman -------------- ¶5. (S) EGIS Chief Omar Soliman told General Jones that Egypt strongly supports U.S. efforts to achieve an Israeli-Palestinian final status agreement before the end of ¶2008. Soliman assessed that such an agreement would be "very difficult" to reach if the Palestinian Authority does not re-establish control over Gaza. Therefore, Egypt is CAIRO 00001291 002 OF 002 interested in integrating the West Bank and Gaza, and reconciling Fatah and Hamas. Soliman outlined the three elements of current GOE strategy: 1) The Tahdiya "Calming" talks; 2) Supporting Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas; and 3) Advancing Integration between the West Bank and Gaza, and Reconciliation between Hamas and Fatah. ¶6. (S) On the "calming" talks, Soliman welcomed the Israeli cabinet decision June 11 to allow time for negotiations to continue, and expressed hope that a "calming" could be achieved as soon as possible. Soliman noted he would meet with Israeli MOD Advisor Amos Gilad later on June 12; he told General Jones that Defense Minister Barak had promised Gilad would bring "good news," but said the GOE is not overly optimistic. Soliman assessed that a "calming" would help allay tensions on the Egypt-Gaza border, assist in facilitating a prisoner exchange to include Israeli hostage Shalit, and bolster the direct negotiations between Prime Minister Olmert and President Abbas. Soliman said that the GOE will urge an opening of the Rafah crossing. ¶7. (C) Soliman said that the GOE wants to support improvements on the ground in the West Bank so that the Palestinian population will view President Abbas as a "credible" leader who can deliver. Soliman opined that increased freedom of movement, "lifting the Israeli siege," and stopping Israeli raids into the West Bank would strengthen Abbas. Regarding West Bank-Gaza integration, Soliman stated that the GOE is thinking about an Arab force to secure Gaza, and has discussed the idea with Arab League SYG Moussa. Soliman described this as the only way to secure Gaza without the population feeling that it "has been defeated." The success of such an arrangement would depend on Hamas being weak and Abbas achieving an agreement with Israel, he predicted. Soliman added that the GOE wants to encourage Fatah-Hamas reconciliation without weakening or pressuring Abbas. Soliman agreed to General Jones' request to urge the PA to extend the presence of the additional PSF officers in the Jenin area who recently completed training in Jordan to show commitment and seriousness to the Israelis. ¶8. (C) Soliman criticized Israeli raids into the West Bank as breeding Palestinian extremism. He told the General he had urged Israeli Security Agency Chief Yuval Diskin to provide GOI intelligence to the PSF and allow them to take action. "You have the wall for security," Soliman said he told Diskin. Soliman underscored the need for both sides to return to the security cooperation that prevailed before the second intifadah's outbreak in 2000. He asserted that Defense Minister Barak needs to remove more checkpoints in the West Bank. Soliman recommended increased U.S. support for the Palestinian security services. ¶9. (C) General Jones told Soliman that the U.S. wants Israel to "stand down" in the rest of the West Bank as the PSF stands up, and that the U.S. will support additional training for the PSF. He noted that the U.S. and the international community intend the security, development and rule of law projects in the Jenin area to bolster Abbas' domestic standing. General Jones said there is currently evidence of greater security in the West Bank, and that the Israelis have begun to fulfill their promises to increase cooperation with the PSF. He noted that the domestic popularity of both Abbas and Prime Minister Fayad is rising. -------------- MOD Interlocutors -------------- ¶10. (C) MG Al-Assar told General Jones that Egypt is a key strategic partner for the U.S. in an unstable region. The MOD's Department of Military Intelligence Representative MG Fouad Arafa said that Egypt faces a challenge on the Gaza border without a responsible Palestinian partner on the other side. He stated that the Gazan population is suffering because of Israel's "blockade." MG Arafa claimed that most of the weapons smuggling enters Gaza via the Mediterranean Sea, which is Israel's area of responsibility. He said the smuggling is a threat to Egypt's national security, and that Egypt is "exposed" to terror from Gaza. ¶11. (U) General Jones' staff cleared this message. SCOBEY