PALESTINIAN PRESIDENT VISITS YEMEN, BUT LITTLE BUZZ

C O N F I D E N T I A L SANAA 001096


E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/24/2018
TAGS: PREL KWBG IS EG YM
SUBJECT: PALESTINIAN PRESIDENT VISITS YEMEN, BUT LITTLE BUZZ

Classified By: Ambassador Stephen A. Seche for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (C) SUMMARY: The Palestinian President visited Yemen on
June 19 and met with President Saleh to discuss the
Arab-Israeli issue and Yemen's initiative to reconcile Fatah
and Hamas. Open source reporting said little about the
discussions and insiders told PolOff that no substantive
developments came from the meetings. End Summary.


2. (U) On June 19, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas
visited Yemen and met with President Ali Abdullah Saleh and
other high-ranking Yemeni officials. The ostensible purpose
of the visit was to discuss Yemen's initiative to reconcile
Fatah and Hamas. Newspapers reported very little of
substance about the visit, providing lists of meetings and
platitudes.


3. (C) Palestinian Deputy Chief of Mission Fayez Abdul Jawad
told PolOff on June 25 that President Abbas came to Yemen
with two messages. First, to update a fellow Arab President
on developments in the Arab-Israeli relationship,
highlighting incursions into the West Bank and Israeli
settlements. The second point was to discuss the Yemeni
initiative of reconciliation between Fatah and Hamas. Abdul
Jawad said that reconciliation depended on Hamas, noting that
Hamas would have to (1) pull back their control in the Gaza
Strip, (2) recognize the Palestinian Liberation Organization
as the legitimate representatives of the Palestinian people,
including in the Arab League and (3) recognize the Arab
League initiatives and all prior international treaties and
agreements on the Arab-Israeli issue. Abdul Jawad was not
optimistic that any of this would happen soon or that
concrete results would come out of the visit to Yemen. He
cited former President Carter's meeting with Hamas and
Egypt's aid and support to Gaza as sending mixed signals to
Hamas, reducing the pressure Hamas might feel to comply.
Abdul Jawad pulled PolOff aside and confided that Hamas had a
strong following in Yemen, especially within the Islah
political party and with cleric and Imam University President
Abdul-Majid al-Zindani.


4. (C) Yemeni Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) Two Americas
Desk First Secretary Abdullah al-Socotry told PolOff on June
22 that MFA colleagues had told him that discussions had been
encouraging in bringing Fatah and Hamas together and that
Yemen requested assurances from both Palestinian factions
that they would not become involved in further fighting with
Israel. Al-Socotry added that there were factions within
both Palestinian groups that might not agree with the Yemeni
initiative.


5. (C) Ruling General People's Congress party Foreign Policy
Committee Chair Mohammed Abulahoum told PolOff on June 22
that the visit was ceremonial and no concrete initiatives
would result from it. He added that currently the pressure
and action on the Arab-Israeli issue was coming from Egypt.
He commented that Yemen had internal problems which
undermined its ability to extend its influence, and that
Yemen's peace efforts were attempts to distract Yemenis from
domestic issues.

SECHE