UPDATE ON RECONCILIATION DISCUSSIONS WITH GOE

C O N F I D E N T I A L JERUSALEM 001780 SIPDIS NEA FOR FRONT OFFICE AND IPA; NSC FOR SHAPIRO/KUMAR; JOINT STAFF FOR LTGEN SELVA E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/05/2019 TAGS: PGOV PREL KWBG KPAL IS EG SUBJECT: UPDATE ON RECONCILIATION DISCUSSIONS WITH GOE REF: CAIRO 1882 Classified By: Consul General Daniel Rubinstein for reasons 1.4 (b,d). ¶1. (C) In the wake of an October 5 meeting between Abu Mazen and Egyptian Intelligence Chief Omar Suleiman in Amman, head of the PLO Negotiations Affairs Department Saeb Erekat told Post that Egyptian negotiators had not shared a draft of the Fatah-Hamas reconciliation agreement under consideration with Abu Mazen. Instead, Suleiman informed Abu Mazen that a draft would be passed to the PA on October 10. According to Erekat, Abu Mazen informed GOE officials that once the PA received the draft agreement, it would respond within three days. Erekat also said that the GOE had not discussed the agreement's provisions in detail with Abu Mazen, and little or no substantive discussion took place in the meeting on security or other key issues. ¶2. (C) Fatah Central Committee member Azzam al-Ahmad provided a similar readout to Post on October 5. Once Abu Mazen receives the new draft from Egyptian negotiators -- which al-Ahmad expected to happen in about a week -- Abu Mazen plans to send al-Ahmed to discuss it with Egyptian mediators. Al-Ahmad said that Abu Mazen had clarified with Suleiman that the next draft would be shared only with Fatah, and not Hamas. ¶3. (C) Finally, PLO Executive Committee Secretary General Yasir Abd Rabbo told the Consul General late October 5 that the only substantive issue raised at the meeting was a late June 2010 date for Palestinian elections. Rabbo noted that Abu Mazen was generally unhappy with the meeting, which he found "not comforting." In particular, Rabbo said, Abu Mazen was unpleasantly surprised by the Egyptian suggestion that a Quartet representative would participate in the reconciliation agreement signing ceremony, currently scheduled for October 26 (after meeting with the factions October 24-25). Erekat also reported that GOE officials had complained to Abu Mazen about his decision to support deferral of a Human Rights Council resolution on the Goldstone report, which the Egyptians said had "surprised" them in Geneva. RUBINSTEIN