Viewing cable 09PARIS827, FRANCE MID-EAST DIRECTOR ON PEACE PROCESS

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O 221354Z JUN 09
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TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 6494
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RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
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S E C R E T PARIS 000827 

NOFORN 
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NSC FOR SHAPIRO/KUMAR 
LONDON FOR TSOU 

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/22/2019 
TAGS: PGOV PREL FR
SUBJECT: FRANCE MID-EAST DIRECTOR ON PEACE PROCESS 

Classified By: Acting Political Minister Counselor Andrew R. Young for 
reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). 

¶1. (S/NF) MFA Middle East Director (Assistant 
Secretary-equivalent) Patrice Paoli informed POL Minister 
Counselor June 18 that Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak 
told French officials in Paris June 15 that the Israelis have 
a "secret accord" with the USG to continue the "natural 
growth" of Israeli settlements in the West Bank. Paoli noted 
that the French anticipate strong Israeli resistance to USG 
pressure on this issue. He asked whether the USG has 
considered how to adapt to possible Israeli responses: "How 
will you react to Israeli reactions to your pressure?" He 
claimed that "the credibility of President Obama will be 
judged on the issue of settlements." MFA DAS Ludovic 
Pouille, who also attended the meeting, underlined this 
point: "Arabs are saying progress on settlements is crucial. 
Saudi Arabia and Egypt seem obsessed with the settlements 
issue; they won't even enter the game without progress on 
settlements." Paoli added that "negotiations can wait until 
the fall, but steps forward cannot wait until then." Both 
diplomats emphasized the need to build confidence measures on 
the ground now. 

¶2. (S/NF) In stressing the energy with which the GOF plans 
to approach the peace process, Paoli said that France will 
not wait until all 27 EU members are in agreement before 
pressing ahead with their support of USG efforts. Pouille 
said the French can play an important role on "two key 
issues": working toward a settlements freeze and monitoring 
the implementation of an eventual agreement. By leaning on 
other countries in the European Union and within the Quartet 
to bring their resources to bear ("their diplomatic presence, 
their networks"), Paoli said that France hopes to contribute 
to pressing the parties forward as quickly as possible. 
Pouille stressed monitoring in particular, which he described 
as "a big hole at the Annapolis conference." He argued that 
"the US cannot be the only judge" of progress. 

¶3. (S/NF) Paoli explained that President Sarkozy will have 
three messages to convey to Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu 
when they meet in Paris on June 24: 

-- "You think you've got time, but you don't." 
-- "You think you have an alternative solution, but you 
don't." 
-- "You think you're stronger than the Palestinians, but 
you're not." 

Paoli said that Sarkozy will stress that "there is a single 
door and it is imperative to move through it now." Paoli and 
Pouille both expressed disappointment with the reservations 
contained in Netanyahu's June 14 speech, but noted that it 
nonetheless reflected significant movement in the Likud 
position regarding a Palestinian state. "It's not easy to 
reverse a campaign promise two months after the campaign," 
Paoli observed. They also said that President Obama's 
address in Cairo was extremely well received in France and in 
the Arab world. "It was a speech, though, and it was a 
received as a speech," Pouille said. "The reaction in the 
Arab world was: 'Now do it.'" 

PEKALA