US embassy cable - 05TELAVIV1684

C O N F I D E N T I A L TEL AVIV 001684 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR PRM:PDAS GREENE AND MCE; NEA:DAS DIBBLE AND IPA; L 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/21/2010 
TAGS: IS, PREF, PREL, ISRAELI SOCIETY, GOI INTERNAL 
SUBJECT: EMBLEM: GOI OFFICIAL REPORTS IFRC READY TO 
ANNOUNCE FALL INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE TO "PRESSURE THE 
SWISS" 
 
REF: A. GENEVA 719 
 
     B. BERN 423 
     C. STATE 47713 
 
Classified By: Pol/C Norm Olsen for Reasons 1.4 (B) and (D). 
 
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IFRC Might Not Wait for the Swiss 
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1. (C) MFA Deputy Director General for International 
Organizations Roni Ya'ar told poloff late March 18 that he 
had just learned during a visit to Geneva and Bern that IFRC 
will shortly announce its intention to convene an 
international conference, for late September or early 
October, to amend the Red Cross/Red Crescent movement 
statutes to adopt a new emblem.  As reported ref (A), the 
IFRC International Conference would have to follow a 
Swiss-organized diplomatic conference to authorize a new 
emblem, and precede the IFRC bi-annual conference in Seoul in 
early November.  Ya'ar's understanding of IFRC intentions 
differed somewhat from the ref (A) account of movement 
intentions, in which the chairman of the movement's Standing 
Commission, Dr. Mohammed al-Hadid, indicated that he wanted 
to await a Swiss statement of intent to hold the diplomatic 
conference before he sends out a convening letter for the 
subsequent international conference.  Ya'ar said he 
understood that the IFRC is ready to announce its intention 
to convene the international conference as a means to 
pressure the Swiss into convening the prerequisite diplomatic 
conference. 
 
2. (C) Ya'ar said he received from IFRC (no name given) the 
following assessments of the positions of key Arab 
governments and Iran on the emblem issue based on recent IFRC 
consultations with those governments: 
 
-- Jordan and Algeria: Favorable to resolving the issue of 
Magen David Adom (MDA) membership in the movement. 
 
-- Iran: Inclined to support steps that advance the 
movement's humanitarian objectives, but wishes to avoid a 
proliferation of emblems, given assurances about the 
non-proliferation of emblems that it said it received when it 
agreed to give up its own unique emblem. 
 
-- Syria: Not in favor of an outcome that would admit MDA 
into the movement, but unlikely to stand alone in opposition. 
 
-- Saudi Arabia: Has no substantive objection to resolution 
of the issue, but does have concerns about timing. 
 
-- Egypt: The Egyptian ambassador in Geneva "is not an ally" 
on the MDA issue.  Ya'ar suggested that the USG and GOI 
consider going around him in a direct appeal to his superiors 
in Cairo. 
 
-- Arab League: The Arab League ambassador in Geneva might 
also be a "problem." 
 
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Swiss Special MDA Coordinator Selected 
-------------------------------------- 
 
3. (C) Ya'ar reported having learned in Bern that Swiss 
Foreign Minister Calmy-Rey selected a Swiss diplomat serving 
abroad to serve as GOS coordinator for advancing the MDA 
issue (ref B).  Ya'ar did not know the name of the diplomat, 
but said he understood that the diplomat had just been 
informed o/a March 16 about his/her new assignment and 
arrived in Bern March 18 for consultations.  The diplomat is 
reportedly not a serving ambassador, but Ya'ar said he 
understands that the Swiss MFA is taking steps to give 
him/her ambassadorial rank for the MDA assignment, news that 
Ya'ar qualified as "excellent." 
 
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