VZCZCXRO4416
OO RUEHBZ RUEHROV
DE RUCNDT #0618/01 2081529
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 271529Z JUL 07
FM USMISSION USUN NEW YORK
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 2348
INFO RUEHXK/ARAB ISRAELI COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE
RUEHGG/UN SECURITY COUNCIL COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 USUN NEW YORK 000618 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV UNSC
SUBJECT: UNSC: JULY MIDDLE EAST BRIEFING/CONSULTATIONS 
 
REF: STATE 102876 
 
¶1.  Summary:  In his July Middle East Security Council 
briefing, UN Special Coordinator (UNSCO) Michael Williams 
highlighted both the positive and negative developments in 
the region over the past month.  Positive developments 
include the release of BBC journalist Alan Johnston, renewed 
contact between Prime Minister Olmert and President Abbas, 
the release of Palestinian prisoners and tax revenues, the 
appointment of Tony Blair as Quartet Representative and 
President Bush's proposal for an international conference. 
Negative developments included increased violence, 
intra-Palestinian political paralysis, and looming 
humanitarian problems in Gaza.  Williams implored Israel, 
Egypt and the entire international community to "explore all 
possible options to operate the crossings" in Gaza, 
particularly the Karni crossing, failing which he asserted 
would send Gaza into a "downward economic spiral" leading to 
"extensive hardship." 
 
¶2.  In the closed consultations that followed the briefing, 
nearly every delegation expressed satisfaction with the 
positive developments in his report, voiced concern at the 
negative elements, and stressed the need to build on current 
momentum.  Russia and Qatar, however, warned that excluding 
Hamas from the political scene would be "counterproductive," 
and Indonesia stressed the importance of not taking sides in 
internecine Palestinian political disputes, while South 
Africa called the economic boycott of Hamas "collective 
punishment" of the Palestinian people.  On Lebanon, UNSCO 
Williams stressed the need for member states to help Lebanese 
parties to reach consensus to end political deadlock there, 
and for Israel to cease its overflights of Lebanese airspace. 
 End Summary. 
 
Williams:  Positive and Negative Developments 
--------------------------------------------- 
 
¶3.  In noting positive regional developments, Williams called 
attention to the recent meetings between Prime Minister 
Olmert and President Abbas, Israel's release of Palestinian 
prisoners and tax revenues, and Palestinian Prime Minister 
Fayyad's recent payment of salaries to 160,000 PA employees. 
He also praised the appointment of former British Prime 
Minister Tony Blair as the Quartet Representative to the 
Middle East, and President Bush's July 16 address on the 
Middle East, specifically lauding the President's proposal to 
hold a conference this fall.  Williams welcomed Norway's 
proposal to re-convene the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee to meet 
on the margins of the General Assembly meeting in New York in 
September.  And he reaffirmed the government of President 
Abbas and PM Fayyad as the only legitimate government of the 
Palestinian people. 
 
¶4.  On a less positive note, Williams also discussed the 
continuing problems plaguing the region:  Hamas' violent 
persecution of political opponents in Gaza, Israel's arrest 
operations in the West Bank, and the Palestinians' continued 
rocket attacks, many of them claimed by Hamas, against both 
Israel and the crossings into Gaza.  Williams called on 
Israel specifically to release the 45 Hamas MPs that it has 
arrested over the past several months. 
 
¶5.  On the humanitarian front, Williams stressed the need to 
reopen the Gaza crossings so as to prevent a complete 
collapse of the Gaza economy.  He said that while 88 per cent 
of the basic needs of the Gaza population were being met, the 
situation had the potential to deteriorate very quickly, and 
that although there was not yet a humanitarian disaster, it 
is possible for one to develop extremely rapidly.  Moreover, 
he said, the closure of the Karni crossing -- and the 
attendant inability to import industrial raw materials into 
Gaza -- has led to tens of thousands of lay-offs, and the 
stagnation of hundreds of millions of dollars worth of UN and 
privately-funded factories and construction projects. 
 
¶6.  On Lebanon, Williams noted the protracted instability 
there, and called on the Lebanese to embrace French and Arab 
League mediation efforts, and attempt to come to a consensus 
to move the political process forward.  He also called on 
Israel to stop its overflights of Lebanese territory. 
 
Council Consultations: Humanitarian Issue, Peace Initiatives 
--------------------------------------------- --------------- 
 
¶7.  In the closed consultations that followed, all 
delegations supported Williams' concerns about the 
humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip.  Delegations 
generally expressed satisfaction that the humanitarian 
lifeline was functioning effectively, but feared that the 
devastating impact of the Karni closure on Gaza's export 
industries (agriculture, textiles, etc.) could soon lead to a 
 
USUN NEW Y 00000618  002 OF 003 
 
 
collapse of the economy there.  Italy worried that since 
Williams reported that only 88 per cent of the basic needs of 
the Palestinians were being met, that 12 per cent of the 
population was without their basic daily requirements.  The 
general consensus that the crossings need to be functioning 
was underscored by South Africa, Ghana, and China, all of 
which noted the need to implement the 2005 Agreement on 
Movement and Access (AMA).  Additionally, Qatar and Slovakia 
emphasized that the Palestinian people should not be 
"punished" for the actions of Hamas, while South Africa 
argued that the international boycott of Hamas amounted to 
"collective punishment" of the Palestinian people. 
 
¶8.  Most delegations, including Russia, Belgium, France, 
Slovakia, Peru, the UK, and China explicitly expressed their 
support for all three peace initiatives currently on the 
table -- Tony Blair's mission on behalf of the Quartet, the 
Arab League initiative, and President Bush's proposal for a 
conference this fall, though many expressed a desire to know 
more specifics about President Bush's proposed agenda. 
Italy, supported by Belgium stressed the importance of 
working simultaneously on two tracks: the long term 
discussion of the "political horizon," the content of which 
everyone is aware, and the short term effort on the "building 
blocks" that are necessary to implement the long term vision 
for Israel and the Palestinians.  In this regard Belgium 
noted the promise of the Arab peace initiative, specifically 
called for further engagement on this front, and expressed 
its desire to see Saudi Arabia pulled into the process. 
Indonesia added that any conference should include "all 
parties" to the conflict. 
 
Engagement with Hamas 
--------------------- 
 
¶9.  Almost all delegations expressed support for a solution 
to the intra-Palestinian conflict that maintains the unity of 
the West Bank and Gaza, with Abbas as the legitimate head of 
the Palestinian Authority.  France, Belgium, Russia, Ghana, 
and Qatar explicitly stressed the need to work for 
"Palestinian unity".  They were joined by Indonesia, who not 
only expressed support for Palestinian unity, but also called 
the Israeli-Palestinian conflict the "mother of all 
conflicts" in the Middle East, whose solution would do much 
to advance the cause of regional peace.  France also noted 
that it would like to examine the concept of an international 
force "at the appropriate moment." 
 
¶10.  However, in addition to the calls of support for the 
government of Mahmoud Abbas, some delegations either 
implicitly or explicitly called for engagement with Hamas. 
In this vein, Congo, while supporting Abbas, also noted that 
the international community shouldn't necessarily exclude 
Hamas, which "has support" in the population.  Russia also 
argued that maintaining the economic boycott and exclusion of 
Hamas from the government would be "counterproductive" 
because Hamas continues to remain an "influential political 
force" and has the support of much of the population. 
Meanwhile, South Africa and Indonesia argued that the 
international community should not take sides in an internal 
political dispute, and joined Qatar in its assertion that 
Palestinian violence against Israel was a natural response to 
occupation, which in the South African and Qatari view is the 
root cause of the conflict.  The US and UK noted they are now 
providing Abbas' government with direct assistance of $144 
million and $6 million respectively.  China was the only 
country that explicitly called upon Israel and Syria to 
resume negotiations with a mind towards peace. 
 
¶11.  Per Department guidance, Amb. Khalilzad related the 
substance of President Bush's speech from July 16.  He called 
upon Israel to implement its Road Map commitments, and upon 
the Palestinians to choose the way of peace and independence 
represented by President Abbas and PM Fayyad rather than the 
way of violence and war represented by Hamas.  He commented 
that the Arab peace initiative was a positive development, 
and that we supported immediate efforts to alleviate the 
humanitarian situation in Gaza.  Amb. Khalilzad further 
stressed the need to turn the current opportunities for 
progress into realities. 
 
Lebanon 
------- 
 
¶12.  On Lebanon, most delegations referenced the comments 
they made last week during Security Council consultations on 
UNSCR 1701 and the report of the LIBAT commission.  Qatar 
explicitly condemned Fatah al Islam's actions in the Nahr 
al-Bared camp, and denounced any attempts to undermine the 
stability of Lebanon.  Other countries, including Indonesia 
and China, joined in these sentiments, calling for a return 
to the process of national consensus-building, while France 
 
USUN NEW Y 00000618  003 OF 003 
 
 
deplored efforts to instigate a "war of others" on Lebanese 
soil, and Peru articulated its concern with the proliferation 
of armed groups there. 
KHALILZAD