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OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHC #9450 2331422
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O 201416Z AUG 08
FM SECSTATE WASHDC
TO USMISSION USUN NEW YORK IMMEDIATE 0000

UNCLAS STATE 089450 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: UNSC PREL LE IS SY
SUBJECT: GUIDANCE: MIDDLE EAST BRIEFING, AUGUST 20 
 
¶1. (U) This is an action message. USUN is authorized to 
draw from the points in para 2 below during the Middle 
East Briefing scheduled for August 20. 
 
¶2. (U) Begin points: 
 
-- I thank Under-Secretary Pascoe for today's briefing on 
the situation in the Middle East. I would like to make 
four points with regard to the Israeli-Palestinian peace 
process and then turn to the situation in Lebanon. 
 
-- First, the ongoing bilateral Israeli-Palestinian talks 
are sincere, substantive negotiations that are addressing 
the core issues. They remain confidential at the parties' 
request. 
 
-- We remain committed to achieving a peace agreement. 
President Bush and Secretary Rice's intense personal 
engagement on this issue demonstrates their commitment to 
achieving a peaceful, two-state solution to the Israeli- 
Palestinian conflict as quickly as possible. 
 
-- Separately, Israel and Syria are continuing their 
indirect peace talks under the auspices of Turkey. While 
the United States will continue to focus on the Israeli- 
Palestinian track, we support efforts to bring peace and 
stability to the region.   Such a goal cannot be achieved, 
however, without addressing the breadth of Syria's 
activities of concern, including its support for terrorist 
groups, its facilitation of foreign fighters entering 
Iraq, and shipment of weapons across its border into 
Lebanon. 
 
-- Second, Palestinian capacity building is key to the 
success of this process. Supporting Salam Fayyad's 
Palestinian Reform and Development Plan remains a top 
priority of the U.S. Government and the international 
community. 
 
-- The Palestinian Authority is in dire straits 
financially and urgently needs additional international 
support. Total U.S. assistance provided in 2008 surpasses 
our pledged level of $555 million, including $264 million 
in project assistance, $150 million in direct budget 
support, and $187.4 million in contributions to the United 
States Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in 
the Near East (UNRWA). Recently, the U.S. Congress 
approved an additional $150 million in direct budgetary 
assistance for FY09 and $50 million in project assistance. 
We commend the assistance provided to the PA by our 
European partners. We also recognize Saudi Arabia, the 
United Arab Emirates, Algeria, and Kuwait for their 
support of the PA and continue to urge regional 
governments to provide additional support to the PA and 
fulfill all outstanding commitments, including pledges of 
budget support made at the 2002 Arab League summit in 
Beirut. 
 
-- We are also working hard to support the parties' 
efforts to improve security for Palestinians and Israelis. 
A meeting on August 12 between Palestinian and Israeli 
security chiefs at Palestinian security headquarters in 
Jenin was yet another step forward towards improving 
Israeli-Palestinian cooperation which will help U.S.- 
trained Palestinian security forces to assume their 
responsibilities to uphold law and order and crack down on 
terrorism. 
 
-- Third, we remain committed to a Palestinian state in 
the West Bank and Gaza. We will never abandon the people 
of Gaza, and urge all parties to adhere to the period of 
calm that began on June 19 as a result of Egypt's efforts. 
 
-- We condemn the violent efforts by Hamas and other 
groups to usurp the lawful authority of the Palestinian 
government in Gaza. In a further sign of the lawlessness 
in Gaza -- in sharp contrast to the improving situation in 
the West Bank -- a terrorist group there last week gave 
media tours of its "rocket factory," bragging that its new 
munitions would be able to strike at civilian targets even 
deeper within Israel. This would appear to represent a 
clear violation of the truce and is a development that 
must be reversed. The Quartet's principles remain 
determinative: renunciation of violence and terror, 
recognition of Israel, and acceptance of previous 
agreements between the parties. 
 
-- Finally, we reiterate our deep concern at continuing 
Israeli settlement activity, and call on Israel to freeze 
this activity and dismantle outposts erected since March 
2001, consistent with its Roadmap obligations. Settlement 
activity is having a negative effect on the atmosphere for 
negotiations and has the potential to harm them going 
forward. 
 
-- Turning to Lebanon, the United States views full 
implementation of resolutions 1559, 1680 and 1701, as well 
as fulfillment of the pledges made in the Doha Agreement, 
as essential to safeguard Lebanon's sovereignty and 
security, and welcomes the Secretary-General's recent 
report on the implementation of resolution 1701. 
 
-- We welcome the August 14 announcement in Damascus that 
Syria and Lebanon will establish full diplomatic relations 
with the exchange of missions at the ambassadorial level. 
This is a very good first step. We have long stood for 
the full normalization of relations between Syria and 
Lebanon on the basis of equality and respect for Lebanese 
sovereignty. Full normalization of relations must also 
include other measures aimed at ending Syria's continuing 
interference in Lebanon, including the delineation of the 
Lebanese-Syrian border, and we call on the Secretary- 
General to engage with Syria and Lebanon to encourage 
immediate progress on this issue. 
 
-- We remain concerned, however, at persistent reports of 
breaches of the arms embargo along the Lebanon-Syria 
border, and note the Secretary-General's observation that 
full implementation of the arms embargo is an 
indispensable provision of resolution 1701 that must be 
observed immediately, comprehensively, and without 
exception. Regional parties, especially Iran and Syria, 
maintaining ties with Hizballah and other groups in 
Lebanon are obliged to respect and abide fully by the arms 
embargo on Lebanon. 
 
-- I wish to convey again our condolences for the victims 
of the deplorable terrorist attack in Tripoli that claimed 
15 lives, including nine Lebanese soldiers, on August 13. 
We strongly support the Lebanese Armed Forces and Internal 
Security Forces in their courageous efforts to restore 
calm. As provided in resolution 1701, there must be no 
weapons in Lebanon other than those of the state. The 
international community must stand with Lebanon's 
government in insisting on the authority of the state and 
on the illegitimacy of all other armed groups, including 
Hizballah, that undermine the government's authority and 
the resolutions of this Council. For Lebanon, this 
remains the core issue for the Council with respect to its 
responsibility to safeguard international peace and 
security. 
 
-- We welcome the Secretary General's intention to 
strengthen the diplomatic process aimed at dealing with 
the issue of the Sheba'a Farms, and urge him to engage 
directly with Israel, Lebanon, and Syria on this issue, 
including via a technical mission that would visit the 
three countries to discuss the cartographers report and 
next steps in detail, and report back to the Council. We 
also strongly support the work of UNIIIC and look forward 
to the establishment of a Special Tribunal for Lebanon. 
 
End points. 
 
RICE