US embassy cable - 01VATICAN5695

Disclaimer: This site has been first put up 15 years ago. Since then I would probably do a couple things differently, but because I've noticed this site had been linked from news outlets, PhD theses and peer rewieved papers and because I really hate the concept of "digital dark age" I've decided to put it back up. There's no chance it can produce any harm now.

POPE TELLS ARAFAT TO CONTAIN VIOLENCE

Identifier: 01VATICAN5695
Wikileaks: View 01VATICAN5695 at Wikileaks.org
Origin: Embassy Vatican
Created: 2001-11-02 17:10:00
Classification: CONFIDENTIAL
Tags: VT PREL IS Human Trafficking
Redacted: This cable was not redacted by Wikileaks.
This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.


 
C O N F I D E N T I A L VATICAN 005695 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR EUR/WE (DEBORAH MENNUTI) 
 
FROM EMBASSY VATICAN/MESSAGE NO. 195/00 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/31/11 
 
TAGS: VT, PREL IS, Human Trafficking 
SUBJECT: POPE TELLS ARAFAT TO CONTAIN VIOLENCE 
 
CLASSIFIED BY AMBASSADOR R.J. NICHOLSON FOR REASONS 1.5 
(A) AND (D). 
 
1. (C) DCM AND POLOFF CALLED ON VATICAN DEPUTY FOREIGN 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 
 
PAGE 02        VATICA  05695  021715Z 
MINISTER CELESTINO MIGLIORE, OCTOBER 31.  THE PURPOSE OF 
THE CALL WAS TO DISCUSS ON GOING EMBASSY ANTI-TRAFFICKING 
PROJECTS (SEPTEL) AND PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY CHAIR YASSAR 
ARAFAT'S OCTOBER 30 MEETING WITH THE POPE. 
 
2. (C) MIGLIORE SAID THAT AT THIS 11TH VISIT WITH THE 
POPE (HE JOKED ABOUT THE FREQUENCY WHICH ARAFAT COMES TO 
THE VATICAN), NOTHING NEW WAS DISCUSSED.  MIGLIORE DID 
SAY THAT THE POPE TRIED TO IMPRESS UPON ARAFAT THE NEED 
FOR HIM PERSONALLY TO CONTROL THE PALESTINIAN MILITANTS 
AND TO END THE VIOLENCE.  MIGLIORE ALSO VOLUNTEERED THE 
VATICAN VIEW THAT DESPITE SUGGESTIONS ARAFAT IS LOSING 
HIS GRIP AND CANNOT CONTROL THE MILITANTS, ARAFAT, IN 
FACT, IS STILL "POWERFUL" AND CAN CONTROL THE MILITANTS 
"WHEN HE WANTS TO". 
 
3. (C) COMMENT:  THIS IS THE FIRST TIME THAT THE VATICAN 
HAS STRESSED TO THE MISSION ITS URGING OF THE 
PALESTINIANS TO END THE VIOLENCE, AS OPPOSED TO ITS 
SYMPATHY FOR THE SUFFERING OF THE PALESTINIANS IN FACE OF 
ISRAELI ACTIONS.  THIS COULD BE A SUBTLE SHIFT ON THE 
PART OF THE VATICAN INDICATING A MORE BALANCED VIEW. 
CORROBORATING THIS SUPPOSITION IS A REPORT GIVEN TO DCM 
BY HIS ISRAELI COUNTERPART, ZVI TAL (PROTECT).  ACCORDING 
TO TAL, THE PAPAL NUNCIO IN ISRAEL WAS RECENTLY 
REPRIMANDED BY THE VATICAN FOR TAKING PART IN A 
PALESTINIAN ORGANIZED PEACE MARCH.  NICHOLSON 
 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 
 
> 
 

 2001VATICA05695 - Classification: CONFIDENTIAL 


Latest source of this page is cablebrowser-2, released 2011-10-04