PALESTINIAN RECONCILIATION: SIGNIFICANT GAPS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 JERUSALEM 000465 SIPDIS NEA FOR FRONT OFFICE AND IPA; NSC FOR SHAPIRO/PASCUAL; JOINT STAFF FOR LTGEN SELVA E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/12/2019 TAGS: PREL PGOV PTER KWBG KPAL EG SUBJECT: PALESTINIAN RECONCILIATION: SIGNIFICANT GAPS EVIDENT IN INITIAL ROUND Classified By: Consul General Jake Walles ¶1. (C) SUMMARY. On March 10, Palestinian reconciliation talks began in Cairo. The talks are structured around five committees: 1) PA government formation; 2) PLO reform; 3) PA security services; 4) elections; and 5) internal reconciliation. As of March 13, significant gaps became evident on key issues. The committees have defined their areas of agreement and discord and talks are now in recess. On March 14, an Egyptian-chaired oversight committee will meet to address areas of disagreement. Absent a breakthrough, delegates are likely to leave Cairo to consult with their leaders and reconvene early next week. As this session of the talks concluded, the PA released 45 Hamas detainees in the West Bank. END SUMMARY. FATAH SOURCES OFFER READOUT ON TALKS -------------- ¶2. (C) On March 10, Palestinian delegations began the reconciliation dialogue in Cairo hosted by Egyptian General Intelligence Services (EGIS). Senior Fatah officials Ahmad Abdel Rahman and Mahmoud al-Loul briefed PolSpec that the first three days of discussion produced substantial disagreement on fundamental issues in four of the five committees. Talks are in recess as of March 13. Absent a major breakthrough from ongoing discussions with EGIS head Omar Soliman, delegates are likely to leave Cairo to consult with their leaders and reconvene early next week. ¶3. (C) The primary delegations are Fatah, led by Ahmad Quraya (Abu Ala'a),who twice served as PA Prime Minister between 2003 and 2006, and Hamas, led by Musa Abu Marzuq, deputy head of Hamas's Political Bureau. Several other factions are also present, but they are generally supporting either Hamas or Fatah and not taking independent positions. Fatah sources say that Soliman is trying to narrow the differences by meeting directly with Quraya and Abu Marzuq on the margins and during the breaks, and that it was at Suleiman's urging that, on March 12, the PA released 45 Hamas detainees from custody. ¶4. (U) NOTE: PA sources note that the detainees were not sentenced to jail terms, but rather are individuals that the PASF detained over time for questioning. PA sources say none faced criminal charges and all would have been released �A;eventually. The timing and the release of the 45 as a group was likely done intentionally to help the talks. END NOTE. COMITTEE DISCUSSIONS REVEAL MAJOR FATAH-HAMAS DISAGREEMENTS -------------- ¶5. (C) By consensus, an at the suggestion of their Egyptian hosts, the factions agreed to structure the talks in five negotiation committees, each comprising Fatah and Hamas representatives, as well as members from other factions. Readouts below are from Fatah sources. ¶6. (C) PA Government Formation: Fatah rep -- Dr. Nabil Shaath (FCC member); Hamas rep -- Khalil Al-Hayya During the first two days of talks, Hamas demanded a government based on the results of the 2006 Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) elections and the 2007 Mecca Agreement (which gave Hamas 12 ministers). Hamas proposed language for the government program from the 2007 National Unity Government agreement wherein it would "respect" previous PLO agreements. (NOTE: This is understood to mean that the government will not seek to overturn or formally abrogate these agreements, but it does not/not mean that Hamas intends to strictly adhere to them. END NOTE) Hamas proposed a cabinet of political figures who, while not party loyalists, would nonetheless have party affiliations. Fatah counter-proposed a government of non-factional members. Hamas wants a government empowered to take decisions on all issues; Fatah wants a transitional government until elections, largely focused on Gaza reconstruction and preparations for elections. ¶7. (C) PLO Reform: Fatah rep -- Zakaria al-Agha (FCC member); Hamas rep -- Musa Abu Marzuq Talks quickly stalled over Hamas's position that it could recognize the PLO as the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people only if the PLO charter is revised and Hamas representatives are placed in all PLO structures. The Fatah delegation rejected this position and reiterated its position that representation in the Palestine National Council (PNC) can only be based on elections. The two sides tentatively agreed that the way to share the PLO is through JERUSALEM 00000465 002 OF 002 new elections and not by dividing membership based on the results of the 2006 PLC elections. ¶8. (C) PA Security Services: Fatah rep -- Nasser Yousef (Fatah Central Committee member); Hamas rep -- Ismail Al-Ashqar (PLC member) Hamas asserted that the PA security services should eschew all foreign assistance, end cooperation with Israel, and preserve the capacity to "resist occupation." Hamas initially demanded the dissolution of the Preventive Security Organization (PSO),as well as a revision of the chain of command so that all services would report to the Prime Minister rather than the President (as the General Intelligence and National Security Forces currently do). Fatah officials say that Hamas appears to have now agreed to endorse a 2005 law that consolidates the services into three branches: 1) Intelligence; 2) Civil defense, PSO and police; and 3) National Security Forces. ¶9. (C) Elections: Fatah rep -- Azzam Al-Ahmad (PLC member); Hamas rep -- Mahmoud al-Zahhar There was no agreement on elections issues, according to Fatah officials Amin Maqboul and Mahmoud al-Aloul. Hamas insists on sequencing, with the Presidential elections preceding PLC elections. Fatah insists on holding simultaneous Presidential and PLC elections in January 2010. (NOTE: Part of this dispute centers around Hamas rejection of a 2007 Presidential decree which applies proportional representation to the election of all PLC seats, and eliminating constituency-based voting. END NOTE) ¶10. (C) Internal Reconciliation: Fatah rep -- Ibrahim Abu Al-Naja (Fata Revolutionary Council member); Hamas rep -- Nizar Awadallah Committee discussions identified two areas of agreement, Fatah sources say. First, they agreed that there should be a special fund to compensate victims and honoring all those killed in recent years, whether Fatah or Hamas, as "martyrs," and that the new government should be the disbursing authority with Arab League oversight. Second, they agreed to form a permanent steering committee for reconciliation that would implement the agreed-upon fund in both Gaza and the West Bank. EGYPTIAN MEDIATION AND BRIDGING PROPOSALS -------------- ¶11. (C) The significant gaps in four of five committees prompted calls for Egyptian intervention by the end of the second day of talks, according to senior Fatah officials. The parties agreed to an Egyptian proposal to stick to agreed-upon principles and defer issues of disagreement to an oversight/steering committee that Egypt will chair and convene on Saturday March 14. On the third day of talks, Fatah sources report that Egypt pressured Hamas to accept that implementation need not be simultaneous on all issues. For example, PA government formation could be immediate, while PLO reform could be done over time. WALLES