US embassy cable - 05TELAVIV959

C O N F I D E N T I A L TEL AVIV 000959 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/17/2010 
TAGS: IS, KPAL, PREL, GOI EXTERNAL 
SUBJECT: (C)  APPOINTMENT OF NEW UN SPECIAL ENVOY FOR THE 
MIDDLE EAST: SERRY LOBBYING ISRAEL AND PALESTINIANS 
 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Daniel C. Kurtzer for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) 
 
1.  (C)  Dutch NATO Permanent Representative Robert Serry 
told the Ambassador February 17 that he is meeting with 
Israeli and Palestinian Authority officials to lobby for his 
candidacy to become the new UN Special Coordinator for the 
Middle East.  Serry said that the Palestinian leadership had 
expressed strong support for his candidacy and told him that 
they favored him over Canada's Jill Sinclair.  He said the 
Palestinians were expected to convey their support for his 
candidacy to UN Secretary General Annan. 
 
2.  (C)  Serry said that he will tell Israeli officials, with 
whom he is meeting later today, that he brings extensive 
experience and personal integrity to the job.  He believes 
the Israelis are comfortable with his candidacy, but he does 
not know where he stands in their ranking order of potential 
successors to Terje Larsen. 
 
3.  (C)  Serry expects to be in New York in the next few 
weeks, and the Dutch PermRep to the UN has told him that he 
is trying to arrange an introductory call on Annan.  Serry 
said he remains ready to come to Washington to meet with USG 
officials, but has understood that it may be best not to do 
so.  He said he remains very interested in the position and 
believes that he would work well with the US in the Quartet 
to advance the prospects for Middle East peace. 
 
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KURTZER