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

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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