JORDAN'S FM CONVOKES P5 AMBASSADORS OVER GROUND

S E C R E T AMMAN 000019 SIPDIS FOR NEA/ELA E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/04/2018 TAGS: PREL KPAL MOPS JO SUBJECT: JORDAN'S FM CONVOKES P5 AMBASSADORS OVER GROUND INVASION OF GAZA Classified By: Ambassador R. Stephen Beecroft for reasons 1.4 (b) and ( d) ¶1. (S) FM Salah Al-Bashir on January 4 convoked the P5 Ambassadors to register Jordan's protest over Israel's ground invasion of the Gaza Strip, lamenting that Israel had escalated its attack at a time when moderate Arab states were engaged in trying to find a comprehensive solution to the conflict. He noted media reports that two Israelis had been captured in Gaza, asserting that if this were true, it would pose a further hurdle to ending the fighting. With the onset of the ground invasion and the continuing toll of dead and wounded, public pressure was forcing moderate Arab leaders to find a swift solution or switch their support to Hamas. Bashir explained that public pressure precluded any delay in the travel by Arab ministers to New York later in the day. Any obvious slowdown would be widely perceived by the public as cooperation with Israel to provide it time to carry out its military objectives. ¶2. (S) In response, the French, Russian, and Chinese ambassadors stated their countries' support for an immediate cease-fire to pave the way for a subsequently negotiated, long-term settlement acceptable to Israel and Hamas. Ambassador interjected, noting that moderate Arab ministers in New York would have two choices. They could either rush to table a resolution that would either fail to garner sufficient support or be vetoed, making them look ineffective, or they could find a way to allow time for those working on the issue to try to move the Israelis and Hamas toward a solution and a point where they might consider a resolution helpful. The British Ambassador seconded this approach. Given the requirement to travel to New York later in the day, Bashir asked how Arab ministers could satisfy public expectations for action at the UN in the meantime. Ambassador suggested they consider informal consultations and wait for Palestinian Authority Abu Mazen's address on January 6 or 7 to the UN Security Council before deciding whether to proceed with a resolution. ¶3. (S) After the meeting, Bashir asked Ambassador to stay behind for a private discussion, in which he again confirmed Jordan's support for U.S. efforts but warned that moderate Arab states were beginning to eye each other warily, suspicious of potential defections from the moderate camp because of the public pressure. Bashir warned that some moderates were likely to start hiding or defecting in response to the pressure. ¶4. (S) During the meeting with all five ambassadors, interlocutors noted two upcoming high-level visits to the region. Russia's Deputy FM Alexander Saltanov intends to visit Israel, Ramallah, and Syria, while French President Nicholas Sarkozy is expected to travel to Egypt, Israel and Ramallah. Visit Amman's Classified Web Site at http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/amman/ Beecroft