FATAH SIXTH CONGRESS: PREPARATORY COMMITTEE STILL

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 JERUSALEM 002111 SIPDIS NEA FOR FRONT OFFICE, NSC FOR ABRAMS/PASCUAL/RAMCHAND E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/24/2018 TAGS: KWBG PGOV KDEM IS PTER SUBJECT: FATAH SIXTH CONGRESS: PREPARATORY COMMITTEE STILL FAILS TO AGREE ON TIMING, VENUE, REPRESENTATION Classified By: Consul General Jake Walles, for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) Summary. In November 15-17 Fatah Sixth Congress Preparatory Committee sessions in Amman, senior Fatah leaders say they discussed venue, timing, and representation, but adjourned without agreement. Committee members told PolFSN that prospects for holding the Sixth Congress before the end of 2008 are dim, and many of Fatah's first Intifada-generation leaders have called for a boycott if the Fatah Central Committee (FCC) does not address their concerns. End Summary. No Agreement on Venue; Fatah Concerned About Gaza Delegates -------------- ¶2. (C) Senior Fatah Revolutionary Council (FRC) and Preparatory Committee members Ahmad Abd al-Rahman and Adnan Samara told PolFSN November 18 that the Committee remains divided over whether the congress should be held in the West Bank or abroad. Unable to resolve the issue, the Committee passed the file to President Mahmud Abbas (Abu Mazen) and the FCC without a recommendation. Adnan Samara said Abbas wants to hold the congress in the West Bank without offending senior Fatah officials in the Palestinian diaspora, including his rival Faruq al-Qaddumi. (Note: Senior Fatah leaders, including Faruq al-Qaddumi, Hani al-Hasan, Ahmad Quraya', and Samara, favor holding the congress abroad, whereas President Abbas, his allies on the FCC, and most West Bank grassroots leaders want a West Bank venue. End note). Abbas told the Committee that he has Israeli approval to allow all congress delegates to enter the West Bank if the congress is held there. Abbas has also been working to convince FCC member Muhammad Ghnaym (Abu Mahir) to take up residency in the West Bank to this end. ¶3. (C) Samara said congress preparations, including the platform and draft charter, are mostly complete, but he does not expect agreement on venue. Committee members said FCC member Hani al-Hasan argued that the congress should be held abroad to allow all Fatah members to participate without an Israeli veto, and prevent an open breach with al-Qaddumi. ¶4. (C) According to FRC members Ahmad Abd al-Rahman and Samara, Gaza-based Committee members, including FCC members Zakaria al-Agha and Nabil Sha'ath and FRC member Ibrahim Abu al-Naja, demanded guarantees on Gaza delegates' ability to travel before final decisions on Congress timing and venue. FRC and Preparatory Committee member Haj Khalid Mismar told PolFSN that, as HAMAS is not likely to allow Fatah delegates' safe passage to attend the congress and then return to Gaza, many Committee members, including FCC member Abbas Zaki, believe the congress should not be held "until the Gaza coup is over." Preparatory Committee Formula for Representation -------------- --- ¶5. (C) Samara said the Preparatory Committee recommended a list of 1,200 delegates using the following criteria: -- All FCC and FRC members; -- A maximum of 25 percent of the delegates from the security forces; -- 350 elected and appointed members of grassroots district committees from the West Bank, Gaza, Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, and other countries; -- About 100 women; and -- 200 other delegates will be selected based on faction qualifications as decided by the FCC. Congress Unlikely in 2008; Grassroots Leaders Condemn Delay, Call for More Delegates -------------- ¶6. (C) In public statements, FCC member Salim Zanun said the Sixth Congress may be delayed until early 2009. Publicly, FRC member al-Mismar also said he expects the congress to be deferred until February to allow time to resolve the Gaza-West Bank divide. West Bank grassroots Fatah leaders Qaddura Faris and Hussayn al-Shaykh told press on November 23 that proposals to delay the Sixth Congress prove that Fatah's top leadership is not interested in holding the congress for fear of losing their leadership positions in new elections. JERUSALEM 00002111 002 OF 002 ¶7. (C) Former members of Fatah's West Bank Higher Committee wrote President Abbas before the Preparatory Committee meetings, urging him to increase grassroots representation and to hold the congress in the West Bank. Faris said grassroots leaders will request a meeting with Abbas and may boycott the congress unless Abbas meets their demands. WALLES