US embassy cable - 05PARIS2555

C O N F I D E N T I A L PARIS 002555 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/14/2015 
TAGS: PREL, KPAL, KWBG, IS, GZ, FR, WB 
SUBJECT: FRENCH AGREE ON NEED TO SUPPORT GAZA 
DISENGAGEMENT, BUT WANT TO MAINTAIN PERSPECTIVE ON WHAT 
HAPPENS AFTER 
 
REF: STATE 68083 
 
Classified By: Political Minister-Counselor Josiah Rosenblatt, reasons 
1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
1. (C) We discussed reftel talking points on President Bush's 
April 11 meeting with Israeli PM Sharon and the need for the 
U.S. and EU to send similar messages supporting Gaza 
disengagement with FM Barnier's Middle East Advisor 
Christophe Guilhou and MFA DAS-equivalent for the Levant 
Christian Jouret April 14.  Guilhou listened carefully to 
reftel points and said that FM Barnier had understood the 
same message on the need to focus on Gaza withdrawal and not 
jump ahead to final status issues from Secretary Rice, during 
their April 13 telcon.  Guilhou assured us that the GoF 
agreed on the importance of Gaza disengagement and the need 
to support it and encourage the Palestinians to take up the 
Israeli offer on coordinating implementation.  The GoF also 
supported the U.S. proposal to appoint former World Bank 
President Wolfensohn as Quartet Special Envoy for Gaza 
Disengagement.  While the GoF agreed with us on the 
importance of Gaza withdrawal, Guilhou affirmed that France 
would continue to "maintain a perspective" on what happens 
after Gaza withdrawal, particularly in the West Bank.  He 
repeated familiar French points on the fragility of President 
Abbas, whom he said needed to be seen obtaining benefits from 
dialogue with Israel, which so far had not been forthcoming. 
On the April 15 discussion between EU FM's, Guilhou said the 
subject of Gaza withdrawal was likely to come up among other 
topics, though no declaration would be issued given the 
informal nature of the meeting.  Guilhou reaffirmed that the 
GoF would continue to put forth positive statements on the 
courageous nature of the Gaza withdrawal and the opportunity 
it represents.  (Note: President Chirac, in an April 13 
speech at a dinner in honor of visiting Saudi Crown Prince 
Abdullah, described Gaza withdrawal as "the occasion for a 
relaunch of the roadmap to arrive at a Palestinian state 
living side by side with Israel in peace and security."  End 
note.) 
 
2. (C) MFA DAS-equivalent Jouret, in a separate discussion 
with poloff, said FM Barnier appreciated the Secretary's 
April 13 briefing on the President's meeting with PM Sharon 
and understood the U.S. message on the need to focus on Gaza 
disengagement.  He reaffirmed that the GoF agreed on the need 
to help PM Sharon on Gaza disengagement, which France had 
lauded publicly as "courageous."  Jouret added, however, that 
we needed to help President Abbas as well, not just by 
throwing more money at the Palestinians, but by offering 
political support.  The GoF shared the view that the 
Palestinians needed to engage more on Gaza withdrawal and 
that there had been a lack of Palestinian energy on the issue 
until now.  In Jouret's view, the Palestinian lack of action 
could also be explained by a lack of coordination so far on 
the Israeli part and the dwindling confidence among the 
Palestinians that an independent state was possible.  When 
reminded by poloff that the Israelis had offered to 
coordinate on implementation, Jouret agreed that the 
Palestinians should seize the opportunity to do so.  He 
expressed regret, nonetheless, that we can't give the 
Palestinians more in terms of reassuring them that a 
political horizon exists beyond Gaza.  He summed up that the 
GoF agreed on the need to support Gaza withdrawal and the 
first step it represented, but the GoF nonetheless remained 
worried about President Abbas' declining popular support and 
that PM Sharon had not done enough to help him.  Jouret 
described Israeli gestures on prisoner releases as 
insufficient and the Israeli pull-out from Jericho as a 
"joke," noting that French diplomats on the ground had 
verified that Israeli checkpoints were still there with 
Israeli army units just a short distance away. 
LEACH