Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08JERUSALEM1978
2008-10-30 15:24:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Consulate Jerusalem
Cable title:  

ABBAS TO ATTEND RECONCILIATION MEETING IN CAIRO;

Tags:  KWBG PREL PTER IS EG JO SY YM SA QA 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXRO9231
OO RUEHROV
DE RUEHJM #1978/01 3041524
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 301524Z OCT 08
FM AMCONSUL JERUSALEM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3145
INFO RUEHXK/ARAB ISRAELI COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHDO/AMEMBASSY DOHA PRIORITY 0490
RUEHYN/AMEMBASSY SANAA PRIORITY 0494
RHEHNSC/WHITE HOUSE NSC PRIORITY
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 JERUSALEM 001978 

SIPDIS

NEA FOR FRONT OFFICE, NSC FOR ABRAMS/PASCUAL/RAMCHAND

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/30/2018
TAGS: KWBG PREL PTER IS EG JO SY YM SA QA
SUBJECT: ABBAS TO ATTEND RECONCILIATION MEETING IN CAIRO;
HAMAS RESERVATIONS EXPECTED TO IMPEDE PROGRESS

REF: JERUSALEM 1934

Classified By: Consul General Jake Walles, for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 JERUSALEM 001978

SIPDIS

NEA FOR FRONT OFFICE, NSC FOR ABRAMS/PASCUAL/RAMCHAND

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/30/2018
TAGS: KWBG PREL PTER IS EG JO SY YM SA QA
SUBJECT: ABBAS TO ATTEND RECONCILIATION MEETING IN CAIRO;
HAMAS RESERVATIONS EXPECTED TO IMPEDE PROGRESS

REF: JERUSALEM 1934

Classified By: Consul General Jake Walles, for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (C) Summary. Senior Fatah and President's Office
contacts told ConGenOffs that President Abbas will
participate in the opening session of the November 9-10
reconciliation meeting in Cairo, joined by Arab Foreign
Ministers and the Arab League Secretary-General. Hamas
Politburo chief Khalid Misha'l will also reportedly attend,
but Abbas has no plans to meet separately with Hamas leaders.
PLO Secretary-General Yasir Abd Rabbo told the Consul
General October 28 that Hamas has proposed at least 14
changes to the draft reconciliation proposal (discussed
Reftel),and that the GOE has refused to incorporate these
changes. Abd Rabbo said the general meeting will devolve to
six committees which are unlikely to bridge substantial gaps
between PLO and Hamas positions. End summary.

Abbas Will Attend Opening Session
Along with Arab Foreign Ministers
--------------


2. (C) Senior Fatah Revolutionary Council (FRC) members
Azzam al-Ahmad and Ahmad Abd al-Rahman told PolFSN October 28
that President Abbas will participate in the opening session
of the reconciliation meeting in Cairo, and may attend other
sessions depending on progress and attendance by Arab League
representatives. Al-Ahmad and Abd al-Rahman said Abu Mazen
is attending the session at Egyptian President Husni
Mubarak's request, and that Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmad
Abu al-Gheit, Syrian FM Walid Muallim, Qatari FM Sh. Hamad
bin Jasim al-Thani, Yemeni FM Abu Bakr al-Qurbi, Jordanian FM
Salah al-Din al-Bashir, Saudi Arabian FM Prince Sa'ud
al-Faysal, and Arab League Secretary-General Amr Musa are
expected to be present. Other contacts in the PA President's
Office mentioned that they assume Damascus-based Hamas
Politburo chief Khalid Misha'l will attend, but they noted
that Abbas has no plans to meet separately with Misha'l or
other Hamas leaders.



3. (C) Al-Ahmad and Abd al-Rahman said Abbas will not
participate as a faction leader but will attend as the PA
President and head of the PLO, recognized as the Palestinian
people's sole representative. Abd al-Rahman said President
Mubarak urged President Abbas to attend the opening session
in a one)on-one meeting on October 27, and Abbas agreed to
attend on the condition that Amr Musa and Arab foreign
ministers join the meeting. He added that Abbas has met with
Musa and several Arab heads of state in recent days to build
an Arab umbrella to support his positions on factional
dialogue, especially his condition that any new PA government
conform to Quartet principles and not result in the
reimposition of "the siege," and that the PLO's authority be
preserved. Abd al-Rahman said Abbas has no confidence that
Hamas will alter its political positions and thus wants Arab
support when the PLO asserts that Hamas is responsible for
failure of reconciliation talks.


4. (C) President's Office contacts say Fatah's
representatives at the meeting (joining People's Party, PFLP,
DFLP and other PLO elements) will be:

-- Fatah Central Committee (FCC) member Nabil Sha'ath, as
Fatah's delegation chairman;

-- FCC member (Gaza-based) Zakaria al-Agha;

-- FRC members Ahmad Abd al-Rahman, Azzam al-Ahmad, and
Ibrahim Abu-al-Naja;

-- Gaza Strip Governors Abdallah Abu Samhadanah and Usama
al-Fara.

Hamas Has "At Least 14 Reservations"
to GOE Paper, But Will Attend
--------------


5. (C) PLO Secretary-General Yasir Abd Rabbo told the Consul
General October 28 that Hamas has proposed at least 14
changes to the draft reconciliation paper (discussed Reftel),
and that the GOE has refused to incorporate these changes.
He said the PLO has sought only two suggested edits that
entail acceptance of the PLO's political program and status
as the sole Palestinian representative body. Abd Rabbo said
the GOE intends to secure approval of the paper at the
reconciliation meeting. The GOE hopes to get credit for

JERUSALEM 00001978 002 OF 002


successfully bringing Palestinian factions together on the
basis of the reconciliation paper, Abd Rabbo said. However,
the task of implementing the Egyptian paper will then pass to
six committees, which Abd Rabbo believes will be unable to
bridge the gaps between PLO and Hamas positions.

Comment
--------------


6. (C) President Abbas and Fatah leaders seem pleased thus
far with the GOE's facilitation of talks and rejection of
Hamas amendments. Hamas has not yet confirmed its
participation in the meetings or named its delegation, and
public statements by former Hamas PM Ismayil Haniyah and
diaspora leaders October 29-30 indicate Hamas is feeling
pressured and pushing hard to incorporate its changes into
the Egyptian paper.
WALLES