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DE RUEHFR #1312/01 2681123
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 251123Z SEP 09
FM USMISSION UNESCO PARIS FR
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0000
INFO RUEHTV/AMEMBASSY TEL AVIV
RUEHEG/AMEMBASSY CAIRO
RUEHJM/AMCONSUL JERUSALEM
RUEHAM/AMEMBASSY AMMAN

UNCLAS UNESCO PARIS FR 001312 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL UNESCO JO IS SCUL KWBG
SUBJECT:  MUGHRABI GATE AT UNESCO 182ND EXECUTIVE BOARD 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary:  For the first time in recent memory, the issue of 
the reconstruction of the ascent to the Mughrabi Gate of Jerusalem's 
Temple Mount registered only as a minor blip on the radar screen 
during the just completed 182nd Executive Board at UNESCO.  Although 
the Jordanians arrived seemingly determined to raise a fuss, they 
quickly retreated and allowed the issue to be settled quietly. 
While we were lucky to avoid the subject this time around, it will 
surely be raised again, either at the upcoming General Conference or 
at the World Heritage General Assembly next month.  End summary. 
 
ONE PLAN, TWO PLANS 
 
¶2. (SBU) The last round of discussions between Israel and Jordan 
regarding Mughrabi Gate were held during the World Heritage 
Committee meeting in Seville in June, 2009, its proper forum in the 
UNESCO context, after discussion of the subject at the 
Organization's last - Executive Board meetings.  The Israelis had 
indicated their willingness to allow the Jordanians to visit the 
site and perhaps even take measurements, provided that their design 
proposals would be incorporated into a single design plan that 
Israel would build. 
 
WORKING ON AN OPENING 
 
¶3. (SBU) Since the July meeting, the Israelis have prepared a new 
design plan, which they have shared with the U.S.  This plan appears 
to integrate elements of the Jordanian plan with the original 
Israeli design.  However, the Jordanians have held firm to their 
belief that they have the right to submit a second plan to World 
Heritage Committee which should then choose between competing 
Israeli and Jordanian designs.  The Israelis, in the meantime, have 
sent UNESCO a series of documents and letters, detailing their 
bilateral discussions with Jordan, including their offers of further 
visits to the site.  Jordan has reportedly refused to accept these 
offered visits unless it can take measurements intended to 
facilitate completion of a second plan.  Israel for its part is 
steadfastly opposed to a second plan and has not permitted Jordan to 
take measurements for this purpose. 
 
4 (SBU)  At the last minute before the Executive Board began, Jordan 
decided to submit a draft decision on Mughrabi Gate, diverging 
significantly from the Secretariat's proposed text and trying to 
strengthen its position that would ultimately permit them to submit 
a separate design plan. 
 
JORDAN BACKS DOWN 
 
¶5. (SBU) The initial language proposed by Jordan was, according to 
the Israelis, completely unacceptable, and led them to believe that 
Jordan was planning to use the Executive Board as the platform for a 
final rejection of the Israeli planning process.  Tibi Schlosser, 
who flew in from Jerusalem to negotiate in the absence of an Israeli 
ambassador to UNESCO, said privately that his government was ready 
to walk away and deal with the consequences later. 
 
¶6. (SBU) Jordan and Israel held several direct meetings in the 
presence of a junior Secretariat official.  Neither side sought a 
high level mediator this time, and there were many fewer appeals for 
U.S. intervention than there normally are. 
 
¶7. (SBU) The Jordanians suddenly withdrew their more strident 
language, and ultimately agreed to a version that comprised only 
small changes to the original "neutral" Secretariat text.  The U.S. 
delegation did not get involved in any of the talks unlike previous 
discussions of this issue at Executive Boards. 
 
FEARFUL EGYPT? 
 
¶8.  (SBU) While we do not know why the Jordanians pulled back, we 
suspect they did so when they realized that Executive Board members 
were completely preoccupied with the extremely close race to replace 
retiring UNESCO Director-General Matsuura.  Member States simply 
would not have tolerated the injection of a bitter Middle East 
controversy into the Board's already difficult discussions.  While 
we have no specific proof, we suspect that the Egyptians made this 
clear to the Jordanians.  A row over Jerusalem could well have 
played poorly among the African and Asian delegations and damaged 
the prospects of Egypt's Director-General candidate, Farouk Hosni. 
 
¶9. (SBU) It is also possible that the Egyptians, confident of 
winning the D-G race, indicated to Jordan that the Secretariat 
position would be more amenable to the Arab side after the voting 
was over.  In any case, the Jordanians made the decision to back off 
of what initially was a hard-line stance. 
 
¶10. (SBU) Comment:  We may have escaped this time due to special 
circumstances, but the Mughrabi Gate issue is certain to come back 
and with great emotion, unless Jordan and Israel can make progress 
in resolving the one plan/two plan issue in their bilateral 
discussions.  It will be almost impossible for UNESCO on its own to 
bring the sides to resolve this.  We may not have long to wait. 
Jordan might try to raise the subject during the upcoming General 
Conference and/or during the World Heritage General Assembly next 
month.  End comment. KILLION