FRENCH MFA ON PEACE PROCESS, YEMEN, SYRIA,

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 PARIS 000025 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/08/2020 TAGS: PGOV PREL SY YM LE IZ FR SUBJECT: FRENCH MFA ON PEACE PROCESS, YEMEN, SYRIA, LEBANON, UFM REF: 2009 PARIS 1335 Classified By: Political Minister Counselor Kathy Allegrone for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: The French are focusing on Palestinian action as the key to unblocking discussions and wonder if President Mahmoud Abbas might be able to press forward the peace process by pronouncing his own prerequisites for the resumption of negotiations, according to Patrice Paoli, French MFA Assistant Secretary-equivalent for the Middle East. Paoli implied to PolMinCouns January 7 that the Quartet could help Abbas to define reasonable prerequisites for a return to the negotiating table. He reported that Foreign Minister Kouchner already discussed this and other proposals with Spanish Foreign Minister Moratinos and Egytian Foreign Minister Aboul Gheit during a "brainstorming session" on January 6 in Cairo, and said the French will raise the idea in more detail with Special Envoy Mitchell during his visit to Paris on January 11. Turning to Yemen, Paoli said the French believe external efforts to help Yemen must be coordinated, have a clear objective, and avoid "stigmatizing" Yemen as a failed state. At the moment, he said, France primarily supports the launching of national dialogue in Yemen as a response to the civil war, while firm opposition to outside intervention by two key actors -- Yemen and Saudi Arabia -- could render futile any efforts at external mediation. Arguing that engaging Syria remains the most effective way to influence its behavior, Paoli said French officials have taken advantage of their improved ties to Damascus to communicate concern about the dangerous consequences of supplying Syrian arms to Hizballah. He also reported Israeli Foreign Minister Barak's apparent support for the resumption of Israeli-Syrian negotiations, and said the Union for the Mediterranean is moving forward. END SUMMARY. -------------- FRANCE TO ABBAS - BE PROACTIVE -------------- ¶2. (C) The French think it is necessary to encourage Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to adopt a more proactive, dynamic approach to the peace process, rather than waiting passively for others to act, according to Patrice Paoli. He said the French are seeking answers to two questions: "How can we persuade Abbas to engage? How can he engage positively from a position of weakness?" More broadly, Paoli said, they are contemplating what the Quartet can do collectively to advance a peace process which is moribund at the moment. With these questions in mind, the French think Abbas could play a key role in pressing the peace process forward by asserting himself and offering a positive vision of the prerequisites for negotiation. He could declare, in his own terms, the Israeli actions that would be sufficient for him to agree to resume negotiations. He could provide a timeframe (possibly six months, Paoli suggested),during which the Israelis would be invited to consider and respond. Abbas would present himself as the face of Palestinian moderation who, in the absence of any progres, might be forced to step down. Paoli implied that the Quartet could help Abbas to define reasonable prerequisites for a return to the negotiating table. ¶3. (C) Paoli said the French will discuss this idea in more detail with SE Mitchell during his visit to Paris on January ¶11. He reported that Foreign Minister Kouchner already discussed the proposal with Spanish Foreign Minister Moratinos and Egytian Foreign Minister Aboul Gheit on January 6 in Cairo. The French also seek to discuss with SE Mitchell a revised version of the non-paper they first presented him in June 2009, according to Adrien Pinelli, French MFA Desk Officer for Palestine and the Peace Process. This non-paper includes proposals for possible French and EU contributions to President Obama's strategy towards "a just, lasting and global peace in the Middle East." (NOTE: Post has e-mailed the June version of this non-paper to SE Mitchell's staff. END NOTE.) -------------- -- YEMEN - CREATE CONDITIONS FOR NATIONAL DIALOGUE -------------- -- ¶4. (C) Paoli said the French were surprised that the British announced a conference on Yemen in London on January 28 without prior consultation. Nonetheless, the French believe external efforts to help Yemen can be productive, as long as these efforts meet three criteria: (1) they must be coordinated; (2) they need to have a clear objective; and (3) they must carefully avoid "stigmatizing" Yemen as a failed PARIS 00000025 002 OF 003 state. At the moment, Paoli said, France primarily supports the launching of national dialogue as a response to the civil war against the Houthis in the north of Yemen. "We must help create the conditions for an effective national dialogue." When asked whether France believes an external mediator could contribute constructively, Paoli said he believes the firm opposition of two key actors -- Yemen and Saudi Arabia -- to outside intervention could render futile any mediation effort. He also argued that the Security Council has little to offer. He reported that the French are currently gathering together information from various ministries about their assistance programs in Yemen, so they can conduct a broader re-assessment of their involvement there. (NOTE: Post will follow up to learn the results of their assessment, and to help facilitate coordination with USG efforts. END NOTE.) Finally, with regard to Iranian involvement in the Yemeni civil war, Paoli reiterated the conclusion he shared in September (reftel): the French have no concrete evidence that Iran has provided military support for the Houthi rebels, though they do not doubt it is possible. He added, however, that the Iranian government has engaged in a "media war" against Yemen by sending messages on behalf of and in support of the Houthis, and by publishing provocative accusations, such as a recent claim that the Yemeni government has been repressing Muslims. -------------- --- SYRIA - ENGAGEMENT GIVES US ANOTHER CARD TO PLAY -------------- --- ¶5. (C) Engaging Syria remains the most effective way to influence its behavior, Paoli said. Nonetheless, he explained, French officials have expressed concern to their Syrian counterparts about the dangerous consequences of supplying arms to Hizballah. "Engagement does not mean that we stop expressing our concerns," Paoli said. "We tell the Syrians that the difficult messages we send form part of the give and take inherent in engagement." Their engagement has led the French to conclude that Syria has adopted a more pragmatic approach, according to Paoli. The Syrian government has begun, for instance, in the past few months, to re-examine its ties to Iran. Paoli did not specify what this re-examination entails, but he said the French believe this development reflects a changing attitude toward Iran throughout the region, noting that Egyptian President Mubarak recently told President Sarkozy that he believes the Iranian government could fall. (NOTE: Paoli reported that French Prime Minister Fillon will likely visit Damascus and Amman later this month. END NOTE.) ¶6. (C) The French do not believe Syria will suddenly stop supporting Hizballah, Paoli noted. "We're not nave," he said, "but we now have more cards to play" because of improved relations and regular dialogue. The Syrians, Paoli argued, seem intent to revive their economy. During high-level visits to Paris in October and November 2009, Syrian leaders focused largely on economic and energy issues. "The more their economy improves, the more we benefit," he said, noting that an economically revived Syria will have more to gain from peace and more to lose from the destabilizing impact of intractable regional conflicts. The USG, in fact, Paoli argued, has a very powerful "card to play" -- our remaining economic sanctions. We all still have the potential to benefit from the leverage afforded by the prospect of lifting sanctions. -------------- -------------- LEBANON - Sleiman CLAIMS HIZBALLAH PROMISED CALM -------------- -------------- ¶7. (C) During his January 2 visit to Paris, Lebanese President Sleiman told President Sarkozy that Hizballah had assured him it had no aggressive intentions toward Israel right now. It is focused, instead, on its national agenda. Sleiman reportedly said he felt "optimism" about the political situation in Lebanon -- "probably too much optimism," according to Paoli. The situation remains worrying, he argued. "No problems have been resolved." The French have begun preparing for the January 21 visit of Lebanese Prime Minister Hariri to Paris, Paoli reported. On a broader level, the French believe Hizballah may be in the early stages of a shift in its regional focus, toward greater emphasis on a pan-Arab approach, Paoli asserted, noting the closeness of many Lebanese Shiites with their Iraqi co-religionists -- a closeness, he claimed, that far exceeds their ties to Iranian Shiites. -------------- ISRAEL - MORE OPEN TO NEGOTIATING WITH SYRIA? -------------- PARIS 00000025 003 OF 003 ¶8. (C) Israeli Foreign Minister Barak reportedly told French Foreign Minister Kouchner that if Israel launches negotiations with Syria, the peace process "will all fall in line," according to Paoli. During a dinner at his home this week, Barak reportedly expressed to Kouchner his support for the "Syria track." Paoli argued that Barak's positive attitude could influence Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, whom Paoli claims has a much closer relationship to Barak than former Prime Minister Olmert ever did. Netanyahu listened, for instance, to Barak's advice about decreasing the number of checkpoints in the West Bank and reviving the economy there, Paoli argued. -------------- - UNION FOR THE MEDITERRANEAN - "MOVING FORWARD" -------------- - ¶9. (C) The Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) is "moving forward," Paoli asserted. He said a January 5 meeting among representatives from France, Spain, Egypt, Tunisia and Jordan confirmed they were "all on the same page" about next steps for the UfM. A January 12 meeting at the working level will begin the formal process of selecting a Secretary General. Toward the end of January, UfM members will begin the process of establishing permanent institutions. While Arab-Israeli tensions have not slowed recent momentum, Paoli reported, problems have developed between Turkey and Cyprus which could hamper progress. PEKALA