US embassy cable - 03PRETORIA5198

C O N F I D E N T I A L PRETORIA 005198 
 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/26/2013 
TAGS: PREL, PTER, KPAL, IS, SF 
SUBJECT: SOUTH AFRICA AND HAMAS, ISLAMIC JIHAD, HIZBULLAH 
 
REF: PRETORIA 3217 
 
CLASSIFIED BY: POLITICAL COUNSELOR GAYLEATHA B. BROWN. 
REASON: 1.5 (B,D) 

1. (C) THE SOUTH AFRICAN GOVERNMENT (SAG) HAS BEEN INVOLVED 
IN TALKS IN THE MIDDLE EAST WITH REPRESENTATIVES OF HAMAS, 
ISLAMIC JIHAD AND HIZBULLAH AT THE DIRECT REQUEST OF 
PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY (PA) LEADERS SUCH AS ABU MAZEN AND ABU 
ALLAH, ACCORDING TO SAG FOREIGN AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT LEVANT 
DIRECTOR ISAAC MOGOTSI.  MOGOTSI TOLD POLOFF SEPTEMBER 26 
THAT THE PA ASKED THE SAG ABOUT EIGHTEEN MONTHS AGO TO WORK 
WITH THE TERRORIST GROUPS AND CONVINCE THEM THAT VIOLENCE WAS 
LEADING THE PALESTINIANS DOWN THE WRONG PATH.  THE PA WAS 
HOPING, MOGOTSI SAID, THAT THE SOUTH AFRICAN EXPERIENCE IN 
NEGOTIATING AN END TO APARTHEID WOULD DEMONSTRATE TO THE 
TERROR GROUPS THAT POLITICAL NEGOTIATIONS COULD BE 
SUCCESSFUL.  THE SAG HAS NOT BEEN SUCCESSFUL IN PERSUADING 
REPRESENTATIVES OF HAMAS AND ISLAMIC JIHAD TO VISIT SOUTH 
AFRICA (REFTEL).  MOGOTSI SAID THE SAG HAS NOT APPROACHED 
HIZBULLAH WITH AN OFFER TO VISIT SOUTH AFRICA. 
 
2.  (C) MOGOTSI EXPECTS THE SAG TO CONTINUE TO TRY TO ENGAGE 
THE TERROR GROUPS.  ISRAEL IS UNCOMFORTABLE WITH THE SAG'S 
APPROACH, BUT MOGOTSI SAID IT WAS CONSISTENT WITH THE EFFORTS 
ABU MAZEN MADE AND THAT THE SAG EXPECTS ABU ALLAH TO FOLLOW. 
THE TERROR GROUPS WILL NOT BE DEFEATED MILITARILY, HE SAID, 
AND THEY MUST BE PERSUADED TO LET NEGOTIATIONS GO AHEAD. 
 
3.  (C) MOGOTSI SAID THE PA TOLD THE SAG THAT IRAN AND SYRIA 
CONTROLLED THE TERROR GROUPS (UNLIKE THE AL AQSA MARTYR'S 
BRIGADE, WHICH WAS UNDER FATAH'S CONTROL) AND THE PA HAD 
LITTLE INFLUENCE.  SUBSEQUENTLY, THE SYRIANS TOLD MOGOTSI IN 
JUNE 2003 THEY WERE VERY UNHAPPY WITH ARAFAT AND THE PA, 
WHICH MOGOTSI TOOK AS CONFIRMATION THAT SYRIA REMAINED 
INVOLVED IN SUPPORTING THE TERROR GROUPS.  NOW, HOWEVER, THE 
SYRIANS SAY TO THE SAG THAT FOLLOWING SECRETARY POWELL'S 
POST-IRAQ WAR VISIT TO DAMASCUS THEY HAVE CUT BACK ON THIS 
SUPPORT.  TERROR GROUP REPRESENTATIVES MUST ROTATE IN AND OUT 
OF DAMASCUS RATHER THAN MAINTAIN A BASE THERE. IN THE SAG'S 
VIEW, IRAN IS THE PRIMARY FINANCIAL AND ARMS SUPPLIER FOR THE 
MIDDLE EAST TERROR GROUPS. 
 
4.  (C) THE SAG'S POLICY TOWARDS THE MIDDLE EAST IS TO 
SUPPORT THE QUARTET AND THE ROAD MAP, AND TO CONDEMN VIOLENCE 
ON ALL SIDES, SPECIFICALLY INCLUDING FROM SUICIDE BOMB 
ATTACKS, MOGOTSI SAID.  IN SUPPORT OF THIS, MOGOTSI POINTED 
TO DEPUTY FOREIGN MINISTER PAHAD'S SEPTEMBER 13 PRESS 
RELEASE, IN WHICH HE SAID THAT THE SAG "CALLS ON THE 
PALESTINIAN PEOPLE NOT TO USE VIOLENCE AS A MEANS TO ACQUIRE 
PEACE.  VIOLENCE AS A TACTIC OR STRATEGY WILL NEVER DELIVER 
THE PEACE SO DEARLY SOUGHT BY THE ISRAELI OR 
PALESTINIAN PEOPLES."  HE SAID THIS IS THE SAG'S MESSAGE 
WHENEVER GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS TRAVEL TO THE REGION.  MOGOTSI 
SAID THE SAG SUPPORTS THE PA AND ARAFAT, WHICH "IS WHAT THE 
AFRICAN NATIONAL CONGRESS CONSTITUENCY DEMANDS," BUT 
PRESIDENT MBEKI SUPPORTS THE ROAD MAP'S TWO-STATE SOLUTION. 
MBEKI WOULD LIKE ISRAEL TO PLAY A POSITIVE ROLE IN SUPPORTING 
AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT AND SHED WHAT MOGOTSI SAID WAS ITS 
CURRENT "PARIAH" STATUS ON THE CONTINENT. 
 
5.  (C) WITH REGARD TO NEXT STEPS, MOGOTSI SAID THE SAG IS 
BACKING OFF ITS SPIER INITIATIVE FOR THE TIME BEING (REFTEL) 
AS IT IS NOT CLEAR THAT THE INITIATIVE IS ADDING VALUE TO THE 
PEACE PROCESS.  MOGOTSI BELIEVES THE SAG MIGHT TRY TO REVIVE 
SPIER AROUND NEXT APRIL, THE 10TH ANNIVERSARY OF SOUTH 
AFRICA'S TRANSITION TO DEMOCRACY. 
 
 
HUME