US embassy cable - 05BRUSSELS899

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BRUSSELS 000899 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR EUR/ERA, NEA/IPA 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/04/2010 
TAGS: PREL, KPAL, PTER, EAID, IS, EUN, USEU BRUSSELS 
SUBJECT: IF IT'S TUESDAY, IT MUST BE BRUSSELS:  VISIT OF 
PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY PRESIDENT ABBAS 
 
Classified By: USEU POLOFF LEE LITZENBERGER; REASONS 1.4.(B,D) 
 
1.  (C)  Summary.  EU officials pledged full support to 
Palestinian Authority President Abbas during the  London 
Conference and his March 2 visit to Brussels.  Abbas told the 
Commission that Hizballah, not Hamas, posed the biggest 
threat to the PA, but told Solana that designating Hizballah 
would be counterproductive.  The Commission is pondering a 
policy to address whether and how to deal with Hamas officals 
who are elected to office.  The EU favors moving ahead to 
discuss final status issues sooner than the U.S., or Israel, 
may be prepared to support.  End Summary. 
 
Luxembourg, EU Reaffirm Commitment to Palestinian Authority 
----------------- 
2.  (U) At the March 1 London Conference, Palestinian 
Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas received strong 
messages of support from the EU.  Luxembourg Prime Minister 
Juncker and Foreign Minister Asselborn, on behalf of the EU 
presidency, used the March 1 London Conference to reaffirm 
the EU's political and financial commitment to the PA's 
reform efforts.  In a speech to Conference participants, 
Asselborn lauded the Palestinians' pursuit of democracy and 
underscored the international community's critical role in 
supporting their goal of eventual statehood. He also 
highlighted the EU's history of humanitarian, development, 
and budgetary aid to the PA since 1980.  Recalling the 
agreements reached at Sharm-el-Sheik and looking ahead toward 
a "negotiated settlement based on international law," 
Asselborn emphasized the necessity of an end to terrorist 
attacks in the region, appealing to both parties for 
immediate implementation of the Quartet's roadmap.  On the 
margins of the Conference, Asselborn, EU High Rep S 
olana, and External Relations Commissioner Ferrero-Waldner 
attended a meeting of the Quartet. 
 
Abbas in Brussels 
-------------- 
3.  (U)  On Tuesday, March 2, Abbas traveled to Brussels, 
where he met separately with Juncker and Asselborn, Solana, 
Ferrero-Waldner, lunched with Commission President Barroso, 
and then met with European Parliament President Borrel. 
Juncker and Asselborn assured Abbas that the EU would 
continue to support the strengthening of Palestinian 
institutions and the PA's reform efforts in the security 
arena.  They also expressed the EU's hope that the assistance 
pledged at the London Conference would help the PA tackle its 
most pressing social and economic needs.  In a joint press 
conference after his meeting with Barroso, Abbas appealed to 
the EU to help rebuild key infrastructure in Gaza, including 
the seaport that was destroyed by Israeli forces.  Barroso 
took up the theme, noting his disappointment that "some 
concrete support" the EU had "been giving with taxpayer's 
money to help the Palestinian poeple has been destroyed" and 
underlined his commitment to end violence "from Israel or the 
terrorist groups."  In an earlier press conference following 
his meeting with Solana, Abbas said Palestinians wanted 
statehood "as soon as possible."  Solana quipped in reply, 
"the sooner the better."  European Parliament President 
Borrell indicated that, if there is sufficient progress in 
the peace process, a global conference of parliamentarians 
could hold a special session in the Palestinian territories 
in November. 
 
Hizballah and Hamas 
----------- 
4.  (C)  According to a Commission official who was present 
at Abbas' meetings at the Commission, Abbas told the EC that 
Hizballah, not Hamas, posed the greatest threat to the PA. 
With Solana, however, Abbas was less direct.  According to 
two Council officials who were in the Solana meeting, Abbas 
said that he thought an EU decision to designate Hizballah as 
a terrorist organization would be "counterproductive."  Abbas 
told both Council and Commission interlocutors he was 
comfortable with Hamas' commitment to the inter-Palestinian 
ceasefire; Hamas was proving reliable.  Our Commission 
interlocutor said his institution was wrestling with the 
issue of whether and how to work with elected Hamas 
officials, given that the EU clearinghouse had designated 
Hamas for terrorism finance purposes.  The Commission, he 
said, was particularly vulnerable on this issue, and recalled 
the beating it had taken from the European Parliament two 
years ago over concerns that EU assistance to the PA could 
have been diverted to terrorist groups.  The EC is thinking 
of a policy that permits "operational" contact with elected 
Hamas officials, while maintaining an embargo on "political" 
contact with the organization's leadership.  How, our contact 
asked, will the U.S. handle this issue.  In particular, what 
will U.S. election observers do if, during the July local 
elections, Hamas candidates want to register complaints? 
 
Next Steps:  Are US and EU in sync? 
------------- 
5.  (C)  The Commission official commented that US-EU 
communication and coordination on the peace process was 
extremely good. He had high praise for NEA A/S Burns, PDAS 
Satterfield, and DAS Dibble.  He was also effusive regarding 
President Bush's Brussels speech last month, which called for 
a Palestinian state with a West Bank component with 
contiguous borders. 
 
6.  (C) Nonetheless, our contact identified one area where 
the US and EU might be on divergent paths:  the issue of when 
to push the parties to begin discussing final status issues. 
The EU wants to move quickly to this next phase, while the 
U.S. seems more focused on working issues one step at a time. 
 This goes back, our contact said, to the first line of the 
Roadmap, which calls for a "performance based and goal 
driven" process.  The U.S. inserted "performance based," 
while the EU insisted on the term "goal driven."  The EU 
remains convinced that PA President Abbas needs to 
demonstrate to the Palestinian people that his policy of 
engagement will lead to results on final status issues.  Our 
Commission interlocutor did not see this as a major 
disagreement with the U.S., but noted that just as the EU 
raised this issue privately during the Quartet meeting in 
London, it will continue to press this point.  At the 
Council, our contacts said it was clear Sharon had his work 
cut out simply to accomplish the Gaza withdrawal. 
Nonetheless, it was essential that Israel take steps that 
would improve "quality of life" for Palestinians -- easing 
closures and restrictions on movement, and perhaps more 
prisoner releases.  After Gaza withdrawal is complete, 
though, these officials said, Israel will have to be prepared 
to take steps on West Bank settlements, the barrier, and move 
on to final status issues. 
 
7. (U)  This cable was prepared with input from Embassy 
Luxembourg. 
.