ABBAS CALLS FOR "COMPREHENSIVE NATIONAL DIALOGUE"

C O N F I D E N T I A L JERUSALEM 000946 SIPDIS NEA FOR FRONT OFFICE AND IPA, NSC FOR ABRAMS/SINGH/PASCUAL E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/05/2018 TAGS: PREL PGOV KWBG IS PTER SUBJECT: ABBAS CALLS FOR "COMPREHENSIVE NATIONAL DIALOGUE" ON YEMENI INITIATIVE Classified By: Consul General Jake Walles, for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) Summary. In a June 4 speech in Ramallah, PA President Mahmud Abbas (Abu Mazen) called for "comprehensive national dialogue to implement all elements of the Yemeni Initiative" and said "as a result of this dialogue, I will call for new Presidential and legislative elections." Yasser Abd Rabbo and PLO Chief Negotiator Saeb Erekat denied publicly that Abbas dropped his demand that HAMAS first "reverse the coup." Erekat privately told the Consul General June 15 that Abbas took this step now to preempt a third party, such as Qatar, from stepping in to facilitate talks, as happened with the Lebanese. However, Fatah PLC Bloc leader Azzam al-Ahmad asserts that Abbas supports implementation of the Yemeni Initiative and mediation by Arab states of talks to form a national unity government. HAMAS leaders welcomed Abbas' speech as Fatah's acceptance of national unity talks without preconditions. Full speech text at para 9. End summary. Abbas Calls for "National Dialogue," Anticipates New Elections -------------- ¶2. (U) In a June 4 speech on the anniversary of the 1967 occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, President Abbas called for "comprehensive national dialogue to implement all elements of the Yemeni Initiative." He said "as a result of this dialogue, I will call for new presidential and legislative elections," and the PLO Executive Committee (ExComm) would work with him to ensure the dialogue's success, restore Palestinian unity, "end the unjust siege" and "preserve the political plurality of our democratic political system and national enterprise." The speech also restated familiar Palestinian negotiating positions on borders, refugees and Jerusalem. Background on the Yemeni Initiative -------------- ¶3. (SBU) March 19-20, Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Salih received PLO and HAMAS delegations in Sana'a to discuss dialogue between the PLO (principally Fatah) and Hamas, which resulted in the March 23 "Sana'a Declaration," signed by Hamas member Musa Abu Marzuq and Fatah Revolutionary Council (FRC) member and PLC Fatah-bloc leader Azzam al-Ahmad. The Declaration's principles were: (a) abiding by PLO commitments and holding early 
presidential and legislative elections; (b) resuming national dialogue on the basis of the 2005 Cairo and 2007 Mecca agreements; the principle that the Palestinian people are an indivisible entity; the fact that the PA consists of an elected presidency, elected parliament, and an executive authority represented by a national unity government; and adherence to all elements of the Palestinian legitimacy; (c) emphasizing the need for all Palestinians to respect and abide by the Palestinian constitution and law; (d) establishing a national unity government to include all factions proportionate to their weight in the PLC; (e) establishing a committee by the Arab League including Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and Jordan. ¶4. (C) At the time of the Sana'a Declaration, there were divergent interpretations as to whether the document was a final agreement for implementation or a basis for Fatah and Hamas to resume dialogue before the Declaration's principles were implemented. At the time, Presidential confidantes, PLO ExComm Secretary-General Yasser Abd Rabbo and Presidential Advisor Nimr Hammad, told us that al-Ahmad was freelancing and did not have Abbas' authority to sign the document. However, al-Ahmad claimed he had Abbas' full support and the endorsement of Fatah Central Committee (FCC) members Ahmad Quraya' (Abu Ala'a),Hakim Balawi and Nasser Yusif. Divergent Views Persist; Next Steps -------------- ¶5. (C) PLO Chief Negotiator Saeb Erekat told the Consul General June 5 that Abbas' call for dialogue has not changed his fundamental condition that "Hamas reverse the coup d'etat in Gaza." Erekat said the speech was intended to &seize the initiative after Doha8 to prevent anyone else from meddling in Palestinian affairs, and that he will hold a June 5 press conference to emphasize that Abbas maintains his conditions. PM Fayyad told the Consul General June 5 that the idea behind Abbas' speech originated in the PLO ExComm meeting June 4 and was intended to preempt a move by Qatar or another third party to subject the Palestinians to &the Lebanon experience.8 Fayyad admitted the Yemeni Initiative is imperfect, but said its references to PLO commitments and a return to the status quo ante are positive starting points for a dialogue that must result in the abolition of militias and PA security forces being the only holder of arms. Yasser Abd Rabbo told Palestinian press June 4 that President Abbas' speech is "an opportunity for HAMAS to reverse its takeover and coup in the Gaza Strip, not a chance to sit around a table and discuss the issue endlessly with Hamas." ¶6. (C) Nevertheless, Al-Ahmad told POL FSN that he will lead a Fatah effort in conjunction with the Arab Follow-up Committee (appointed in the Sana'a Declaration) to establish the mechanism for talks and begin dialogue. He said there is no timetable for talks yet, and this will be agreed with Hamas soon. He said Musa Abu Marzuq and other HAMAS leaders are emphasizing their reservations on certain parts of the Yemeni Initiative, especially regarding "abiding by PLO commitments," which includes recognition of Israel's right to exist, and that he cannot predict the outcome of talks to clearly define and implement the Initiative. Al-Ahmad said Fatah and HAMAS will discuss formation of a national unity government, with composition set by mutual agreement, and that this government will then prepare for new Presidential/PLC elections if the dialogue succeeds. He said "Hamas must understand that (former HAMAS PM Ismayil) Haniyah's government's time is up," but he dodged the issue of the status of PM Fayyad's government in the context of Yemeni initiative talks, saying that "this government must be changed in any circumstances." Ahmad Quraya' told press that Fatah's position on internal strife is clear and the Yemeni Initiative must be implemented and include presidential/PLC elections. Hamas Leaders Welcome Abbas' Call for National Dialogue -------------- ¶7. (SBU) HAMAS leader Mahmud al-Zahar told local press in Gaza that "Hamas applauds President Abbas' call for comprehensive national dialogue," adding that HAMAS believes Abbas is offering this dialogue "unconditionally." Gaza-based Hamas' Deputy PLC speaker Ahmad Bahar spokesmen Ahmad Yusif and Tahir Nunu praised Abbas' speech and said Hamas is ready to start immediate national unity talks. Comment -------------- ¶8. (C) With his speech, Abbas has re-opened the issue of Hamas-Fatah dialogue and the divergent views in his own camp. The deep differences between HAMAS and Fatah on the issues suggest that an agreement is unlikely, but Abbas has not handled this issue well in the past and runs the risk that his strategy could backfire. Abbas' decision to return to the Yemeni Initiative reflects the significant pressure he feels from PLO and Fatah leaders who are dissatisfied with progress on the negotiation track. It also reflects his own frustration with the negotiations, especially in light of continued settlement activity, and his expectation that the current Israeli political crisis could de-rail efforts to reach an agreement by the end of 2008. ¶9. (U) Begin speech text (ConGen translation). Brother and sisters On the occasion of the June 5 1967 aggression I felt obliged to address you in all frankness on all important issues to our stead fasting people in the homeland and the refugee camps, and in the prisons of occupation. At first I would like to stress to our people and Arab and Islamic nations that the passage of time and decades of occupying our lands will not force our people to cede their rights on their land as decided by the successive Arab summits, and the international community and our Palestinian national council to create our independent state with Jerusalem as its capital. Israel has no choice if it opts for peace and security except to fully and totally withdraw from the Palestinian and Arab territories to the pre 1967 June 4 lines. We are for a just and comprehensive peace without which there cannot be peace and security by the force of occupation and settlements bulldozers. The Israeli decisions of annexing Jerusalem and building settlements in it and in the West Bank and constructing the racist separation wall are all null and void. These decisions cannot be a premise for peace. The policy of imposing settlements by force of weapons will not work against the Palestinian people who will not cede their rights in Jerusalem, the first of the two Qiblas and the third holy shrine. The Palestinian people hereby uphold their standing rights and in a just solution to the refugee problem according to resolution 194. All should be fully confident that negotiations and meetings between time to time are an occasion to stress our standing rights to achieve comprehensive and just peace and to undermine the Israeli illusions on holy Jerusalem and on all illusions about settlements on our Palestinian lands. I hereby urge the international community to end the unjust siege on our people in Gaza and urge our Arab nation to start moving on the international arena to lift the siege which constitutes a war crime against our people. I salute the people who are stead fasting in the West Bank, the Gaza. Strip, Jerusalem and the Diaspora. I assure them all that we exert all efforts to end the siege imposed on our people in Gaza. Allow me now to announce our national and sincere decision which reflects our concern over the unity of our people and our homeland and in pursuit of ending the unjust siege imposed on our people. This decision came about as a result of meetings held by the PLO Executive Committee and other factions and has been taken by consensus of all. We are hopeful that this decision will build a common ground and constitute a new page in our national life. Out of concern over our unity and unified national future, and in response to the sincere Palestinian and Arab calls urging an end to the division and to restore the situation in Gaza to the status pre June 13 2007, I hereby call for a comprehensive national dialogue to implement the all elements of the Yemeni initiative as was decided by the Arab summit in Cairo in order to end the state of national division which was intensely detrimental to our national cause and caused tremendous suffering to our people in the Gaza strip. This division constitutes a serious danger to our national aspirations in freedom and independence. In order to ensure success to the national dialogue I will move on the Arab and international levels to guarantee support to this trend, in order to restore the unity of our people which constitutes the strongest guarantee to restore our standing rights in self determination, return and the creation of an independent state. As a result of this dialogue I will call for new presidential and legislative elections. The PLO Executive committee will work with me to provide the conducive circumstances to ensure success to this dialogue, restore unity, and end the unjust siege on our people and preserve the political plurality of our democratic political system and national scheme. End speech text WALLES