NO CHANGE IN FRENCH POLICY TOWARD HAMAS, DESPITE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 PARIS 000969

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/20/2013
TAGS: PREL PTER KPAL FR IS
SUBJECT: NO CHANGE IN FRENCH POLICY TOWARD HAMAS, DESPITE
PRESS CLAIMS TO THE CONTRARY

REF: PARIS POINTS FOR 19 MAY 2008

Classified By: Acting Political Minister Counselor Andrew Young for rea
sons 1.4. (b),(d).


1. (C) Summary: French MFA DAS-equivalent for the Levant
Ludovic Pouille denied on 20 May any change in French policy
toward Hamas following erroneous reports that the GOF had
resumed contacts with Hamas. No dialogue or official
contacts, beyond "technical" ones related to security carried
out by French intelligence services, are going on. Pouille
called FM Kouchner's public handling of a journalist's
questions about reports of such contacts "maladroit" and
provided the background to retired French diplomat Yves Aubin
de la Messuziere's visit to the Gaza Strip last month as a
private researcher with no official mandate from the GOF.
Even though Messuziere had no official standing, however,
Pouille justified the GOF and other government's using
individuals like him and former President Carter to remain
abreast of Hamas thinking and to repeat the conditions laid
down by the Quartet that Hamas must meet in order to play a
role in peace negotiations. Pouille expressed appreciation
for the understanding way the White House and the Department
had responded to press queries about this matter, and he was
chagrined to learn that a demarche may still be forthcoming
on the subject. Yesterday saw a second day of heated
exchanges on this subject at the French MFA's press briefing,
at which its spokesperson repeatedly stated French policy
toward Hamas has not changed and that there are no official
contacts ongoing. In light of these declarations and the
conversation with Pouille, Embassy believes we should accept
French statements at face value and note that France
understands our concerns. End summary


2. (C) We used a 20 May meeting that was to have been
devoted to Lebanon with French MFA DAS-equivalent Ludovic
Pouille to ask about reports the GOF has resumed some sort of
political contacts with Hamas (per ref) and to register
Washington's concern over such a development. Pouille
emphatically denied that French policy toward Hamas had
changed, either with respect to the EU's designation of Hamas
as a terrorist organization or as regards EU/Quartet demands
that it recognize Israel's right to exist, renounce
violence/terrorism, and accept previously negotiated
Israeli/Palestinian accords as prerequisites to dealing with
Hamas in any "official" capacity. In addition, there is no
dialogue going on or any official contacts that would deviate
from EU-mandated policy.


3. (C) According to Pouille, France has no intention of
changing its policy as long as the status quo persists.
Hamas is a terrorist group, although France also believes
that Hamas represents a significant current of Palestinian
political opinion that cannot be ignored. Israel's attempts
to wipe it out militarily have not succeeded, and France
believes it is imperative to cultivate all sources of
information about the group and what it represents. In this
context, Pouille argued, France and other countries, should
take advantage of individuals having unofficial contacts with
Hamas to stay current as to the group's thinking and to take
advantage of such meetings to reinforce the international
community's message. This approach was entirely consistent
with President Sarkozy's desire to maintain "passageways" to
regimes or organizations beyond the pale, even when official
contacts are impossible.


4. (C) With specific reference to the controversy stirred
up by the article in the center-right newspaper "Figaro" and
FM Kouchner's subsequent statements to the media seeming to
confirm that official contacts with Hamas had occurred,
Pouille asserted this was a misimpression. He bluntly termed
Kouchner's comments "maladroit" and suggested that Kouchner
may not have seen or been briefed on the "Figaro" article
when asked about it. By way of background, Pouille related
that former French diplomat Yves Aubin de la Messuziere, who
is now a researcher with Sciences-Po university, had indeed
contacted the Quai beforehand about his intended visit to
Gaza and meetings with Hamas officials. Kouchner, who knew
Messuziere from his posting as French ambassador to Italy
prior to Messuziere's retirement, was informed of
Messuziere's intentions. According to Pouille, Messuziere
wanted to make sure his trip and meetings would be okay
(i.e., that the French government had no objection to either)
and to get a briefing on the GOF line toward Hamas. Pouille
stressed that the MFA had neither given Messuziere a message
to pass nor asked him to take on a mission for the GOF.
Although he did not explain why de la Messuziere had implied
some sort of official status in the "Figaro" article, Pouille
acknowledged that Hamas had done all it could to manipulate
coverage of this revelation and exploit it for the sake of
political gain.


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5. (C) Regarding "Figaro's" reference to French
intelligence services resuming their contacts with Hamas,
Pouille said these were few and "technical." They were
primarily related to security, i.e., to facilitate the
movement of French officials in the Gaza Strip and protect
the few French interests there (e.g., a cultural center and
medical clinic operated by a French Catholic charity).
Pouille likened the contacts to those he understood to have
taken place recently when one of General Dayton's
subordinates had visited Gaza. When we asked whether any
contacts might relate to efforts to free French/Israeli dual
national IDF soldier Gilad Shalit, in Hamas captivity for
over a year, Pouille repeated that the GOF is not directly
involved in negotiations with Hamas over Shalit. Those
efforts are entirely confined to Egyptian discussions with
Hamas without France playing a direct role.


6. (C) Returning to one of his central points, i.e, that
France eschews contact with Hamas but believes it vital to
understand as much as possible about Hamas and its political
views, Pouille said that France does not discourage visits to
Gaza or meetings with Hamas leaders by academics, former
politicians (like Jimmy Carter),intellectuals, or former
government officials like de la Messuzire or Jeremy
Greenstock. Pouille referred as well to the Russians,
Norwegians, and other governments that maintain contacts with
Hamas. Like it or not, he continued, the Gaza Strip must be
part of a larger solution to the Palestinian issue. There is
no way to exclude it from a final settlement or to ignore the
views of its population. Pouille emphasized France's shared
desire that this occur in a manner consistent with the
requirements laid down by the Quartet. In this respect, the
GOF would remain careful to respect the Palestinian
Authority's lead as it involves contacts with Hamas. Pouille
affirmed that the GOF has no desire or standing to question
President Mahmud Abbas' authority in this regard.


7. (C) We informed Pouille that, notwithstanding public
statements at the White House and Department that the USG
understood French policy had not changed with respect to
Hamas and that Messuziere's contacts had been strictly
unofficial, the Department was considering a formal demarche
to the GOF expressing concern about a possible shift in
French policy toward Hamas. Specifically, we pointed to the
risk of how any shift might be misinterpreted in light of
France's assumption of the EU presidency in July as well as
how it might undermine the ongoing Annapolis process.
Pouille understood Washington's "inquietude," and he was
grateful for its public handling of this matter, but repeated
that nothing had changed vis-a-vis Hamas or in terms of
French support for the ongoing Annapolis process. France
shares the American desire for a two-state solution and does
not see a role for extremism or terrorism in such a vision.
He noted that he would accompany FM Kouchner for meetings
this weekend in the Palestinian territories aimed at
supporting the Palestinian private sector, an effort that was
an outgrowth of the Paris conferences of donors to the
Palestinian Authority last December.


8. (C) Comment: The furor continued over this matter for a
second day at the French MFA's press briefing May 20, with
the spokesperson receiving more intense and hostile
questioning than the previous day. Central to the exchanges
was the question of how the USG had reacted to news of French
"contacts" with Hizballah. The MFA spokesperson drew
extensively from transcripts of the Department and White
House press briefings to turn back reporters' attempts to
portray this episode as a serious crisis in U.S./French
relations over Middle East policy. She also used the
occasion to reiterate more than once that France's policy had
not changed on Hamas and that Hamas' repeated recourse to
violence was unacceptable.


9. (C) Comment continued: The French consider this matter
closed. Although it is true that Pouille has privately
expressed an apparently widespread view among French
diplomats that the EU designation of Hamas as a terrorist
organization ties France's hands more than they would prefer
(the different situation vis-a-vis Hizballah is notable in
this context),we see no sign that France has changed or
wants to change its policy. President Sarkozy and FM
Kouchner have not changed their view of Hamas as a terrorist
organization nor their commitment to France being a full and
supporting partner in the cause of a peace settlement between
Israel and the Palestinians. Kouchner's imminent trip to the
Palestinian Authority and Sarkozy's visit next month to
Israel and the West Bank underscore their seriousness, which
they would not want abridged by some misunderstanding over
Hamas. Embassy's assessment is that indeed French policy
toward Hamas has not changed.

Please visit Paris' Classified Website at:

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http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/paris/index.c fm

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