POLISH FM SIKORSKI'S MISSION TO MIDDLE EAST:

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 WARSAW 001093 SIPDIS STATE FOR NEA/IPA, EUR/CE E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/22/2019 TAGS: PRELOV PGOV IR IS PL SUBJECT: POLISH FM SIKORSKI'S MISSION TO MIDDLE EAST: PREPARING FOR 2011 EU PRESIDENCY Classified By: POLITICAL COUNSELOR DAN SAINZ FOR REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D ) ¶1. (C) SUMMARY. A Polish MFA official characterized FM Sikorski's October 19-20 trip to Israel and the Palestinian territories as an "information gathering" mission to help Poland prepare for its EU presidency in the second half of ¶2011. Although Poland will continue to engage Israelis and Palestinians in support of a two-state solution, the MFA is not planning new initiatives concerning the region. The MFA is concerned, however, that the UN-sponsored Goldstein Report will politicize efforts to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Turning to Iran, the official emphasized MFA's view that the Polish press had "over-spun" Sikorski's public comments warning against an open conflict between Israel and Iran, and "exaggerated" the possibility that such a conflict would break out in the near-term. END SUMMARY. INFORMATION GATHERING -------------- ¶2. (C) Witold Smidowski of the MFA's Africa and Middle East Department portrayed Sikorski's two-day visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories as an "information gathering" trip in the run-up to Poland's assumption of the EU presidency in the latter half of 2011. He emphasized that the MFA wanted to get an early start in understanding the nuances of the Israeli-Palestinian issue so that the Union did not lose momentum in 2011. He added, however, that Poland was currently not planning any new initiatives towards the region during its EU presidency. OPEN CHANNELS WITH PALESTINIANS -------------- ¶3. (C) Smidowski told us that Sikorski's trip to Ramallah reinforced the MFA's approach toward the Palestinian Authority (PA),which focuses on political engagement and providing PLN 1.5 million (approximately USD 535,000) in annual assistance for activities such as law enforcement training in criminal investigation, scholarships for Palestinian students, support for enhanced NGO activities, and strengthening administrative capacity. During the trip, Sikorski signed an agreement with his Palestinian counterpart formalizing annual bilateral consultations at the DFM level. In addition, Sikorski had "useful" meetings with PA President Abbas and Prime Minister Fayyad, who reiterated their backing for a two-state solution but questioned Israel's commitment to the peace process, particularly concerning settlement activities in occupied territory. MIDDLE EAST PEACE AND IRAN -------------- ¶4. (C) Sikorski also met with Israeli President Peres, Prime Minister Netanyahu, Foreign Minister Lieberman, and opposition leader Tzipi Livni, who all expressed support for a two-state solution but presented "varied notions" as to how it would be accomplished. They also warned about the danger that a nuclear-armed Iran posed for Israel and, later, Europe. According to Smidowski, the Israelis were skeptical that the UN Security Council would take any significant action to thwart Iran's pursuit of nuclear weapons, particularly given Russia's opposition to further sanctions. Smidowski, who served six years (2002-08) as Poland's Ambassador to Iran, told us that he shared Israel's skepticism about reaching a resolution with Iran in the near future. ¶5. (C) Smidowski downplayed the significance of Sikorski's public warning against an open conflict between Israel and Iran but did not explain what had sparked the FM's comments. Smidowski argued that the press had "over-spun" the issue and "exaggerated" the possibility that such a conflict would break out in the near term. He emphasized that press speculation was particularly inappropriate when it claimed that Polish troops in the Golan Heights--who would be leaving the region by the end of October--could find themselves caught in the middle of an Israeli-Iranian conflict. THE GOLDSTEIN REPORT: BIASED AND POLITICIZING -------------- ¶6. (C) During Sikorski's visit, both the Israelis and Palestinians characterized the UN-sponsored Goldstein Report on Israel's incursion into Gaza as biased and incomplete. Smidowski told us that the GoP, too, was concerned about the report's conclusions. He argued that it politicized initiatives intended to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian WARSAW 00001093 002 OF 002 conflict and failed to address the role of Hamas before and during the Gaza incursion. Smidowski agreed with us that the report should be handled in the UN Human Rights Council and did not warrant the attention of the UN Security Council. COMMENT -------------- ¶7. (C) Poland is in the early preparatory stages for its EU presidency in 2011 and would welcome U.S. consultations on the Middle East peace process and Iran's nuclear program. Warsaw has strongly supported universal sanctions against Iran since mid-2008, when the Treasury Ministry--at our request--ordered state-owned gas importer PGNiG to pull back from any potential investments or commercial deals with Iran. As EU President, Poland will likely support U.S.-sponsored peace negotiations and will use its influence to ensure that the EU's own initiatives in this respect, including within the Quartet, are complementary. TULLEY