The Palestine Papers
Meeting Minutes: Condoleezza Rice and Salam Fayyad

This meeting seems to follow an earlier one between Fayyad and Stephen Hadley. The focus is once again on the Gaza disengagement: Rice tells Fayyad that it will delay progress on the Road Map, because Israeli domestic politics "cannot handle more" than the disengagement. "We understand PM Sharon's domestic political concerns, but we also have our own domestic challenges," Fayyad replies.

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Meeting

Secretary Rice

 

Attendance:

 

P : Salam Fayyad, Akram Hanieh, Hassan Abdul Rahman, Ghaith A-Omari

US : Sec. Rice, David Welch, Economic Advisor, 2 assistants

 

Summary:

 

Dr. Fayyad : There is a perception that we are trying to over-negotiate the Gaza Disengagement (GD). In reality we want the GD to succeed because it will strengthen he movement towards ending the occupation that began in 1967. For the GD to succeed, it must be full, complete, and clean. There must not be Shabaa Farms left. This includes issues of access, the sea, the airport, the north, east and south of Gaza. Success in the GD will strengthen the hand of those who want success in the whole process.

 

The GD must transition from being consistent with the Road Map (RM) to being part of the RM. This must include action on the West Bank (WB), settlements, and a political future. We are encouraged by President Bush's statements from Brussels to Crawford.

 

The process of US definition of the Permanent Status issues has begun, and we must start to work together to square the circle of assurances that began on April 14th. This will give credibility to the peace process and strengthen President Abbas. We must begin this now, given the action of Israel on the ground, especially in Jerusalem, which threaten the 2-state solution and the creation of a viable Palestinian state. There is already significant damage to these prospects and to viability by the existing settlement expansion. Any more may cause irreparable damage.

 

To operationalize this, Israel must begin to implement RM elements in the WB, such as return to September 28th and opening Jerusalem institutions. This will strengthen the RM and the Quartet. We want economic help, but right now, political progress is more important in empowering the PA and President Abbas.

 

The Sharm understandings are not being implemented on the ground.

 

Strategically, we need the GD to be complete and clean, and we need more definition of the Permanent Status issues. These ? along with progress on the RM ? should not be held hostage to possible issue-related delays in the GD.

 

We cannot be held by a Shabaa Farm-like situation, while things continue on the ground in the WB. There must be a stop to action on the ground. We are encouraged by what President Bush said. We cannot have a situation where Israel evacuated 2,000 homes in Gaza while it builds 6,000 new ones in the WB around Jerusalem. The E1 disturbs us.

 

President Abbas ? with the help of the Quartet and Egypt ? did a lot to bring calm. We need to support this and make it work. We are moving towards pluralism, with one authority. Chances of success in July are not bad if we have a political process and an expectation of a good future. I am not pessimistic.

 

On economy, we are seeing delivery from the Arab states thanks to you. We need this to continue. What we got we paid to the Banks and we need more to deliver to the people.

 

We are in the process of improving governance in the judicial, security and administrative spheres. We started the pension process, which is costly but strategically important. Presient Abbas is committed to all of this and is acting. He hopes to come here in mid-May.

 

On the Hill, I felt a sense of hesitation which I believe relates to the past. We are doing a lot, like getting PWC to audit our books. The issue of removing the waiver authority will send a negative signal, and will actually defeat the whole purpose of the aid package, which is meant to signal support for the PA. The question is not how much but how. You can give us $55M using the existing waiver, and we can keep the waiver in the future but not use it.

 

Sec. Rice :  I am hopeful regarding the waiver issue.

 

We need to get the disengagement right. If it goes well we can accelerate to RM and other aspects of the process. That is why we appointed Wolfensohn. It has to be coordinated. There must be functioning government, security and economy once Israel withdraws. It must be an opportunity to demonstrate that things could work.

 

We are worried about the issue of a parallel political track. We need to get back to the RM, but Israel cannot handle more now. They have a lot of trouble regarding the GD and they cannot handle more.

 

The GD will happen and it will happen fast. But they have problems. I saw something about the cemeteries, and it is hard.

 

Let us not overload the circuit. We need to focus on the now. But do not worry, we will not abandon you on the future of the political process. We need to get the GD right, and to build the institutions right to create momentum. The President is focused on this. He talks about it in all of his meetings with world leaders. GD must be right so we can move quickly to Permanent Status issues.

 

We told Israel: the more settlement expansion, the faster we will go to permanent status. They cannot prejudge the outcome of the negotiations. The E1 is being pushed further and further back because of our message.

 

Please take this message home: we will not abandon you politically. This cannot be Gaza only. But we need to focus on the now. Let's not dilute our attention.

 

If you want more clarity regarding relation between the RM and the GD, we can talk about this publicly more often than we do now.

 

But Israel will bring up the issue of terror infrastructure. This might undermine the truce. Dismantlement is the first obligation, and if we start you will have to implement.

 

But apart from the RM, there are the Sharm obligations. Welch and Abrams will go the region next week to work with Israel to implement Sharm and support Presient Abbas.

 

The formula is: GD, Sharm and  more public statements regarding relation with RM. This is how we make GD part of RM. This is how we should structure it.

 

If we start a political track, this will dilute focus.

 

The GD will be a process that needs a lot of detailed work. We have little time to do the work. Focus on the coming 5 months, up to September.

 

We will not abandon you regarding the permanent status negotiations. We will be a force to ensure that delays in the GD will to happen and that this will not allow for things to continue on the ground in the WB.

 

This Welch's number 1 agenda item. I will intervene and come to the region when I need to. Wolfensohn is there.

 

We need to get Ward a single point of contact regarding security. Help us in this.

 

Dr. Fayyad : We understand PM Sharon's domestic political concerns, but we also have our own domestic challenges.

 

Sec. Rice : clarity on the RM and implementation of Sharm will help President Abbas. The same if settlers leave Gaza and the northern WB, and if the Palestinian cleanly take over. All of this in addition to Jericho and Tulkarem.

 

Dr. Fayyad : What about September 28th?

 

Sec. Rice : We will explore it. But Israel will say that the deal is not a truce but dismantlement. They know that calm is essential but they will invoke the dismantlement.

 

You need to do more visible action regarding the tunnel and arrest of people who do bad things and the factories even if you do not want to dismantle now. This will make a difference. Sooner or later, you will need to take on the organizations.

 

Dr. Fayyad : We are doing what Israel did in 1948. Confront the organizations but give them a choice: either in or out. We have achieved calm and must make it stick. Incident will happen, but our objective is security. More than that, we want a domestic pluralistic democratic political process. Once they join the political mainstream, they will drop their weapons. This is positive.

 

But asking us to do more now can push things out of control. We do not yet have the security capacity. We are working to build capacity and security sector reform.

 

Sec. Rice : We know that Hamas will not be demobilized tomorrow, but security action on the ground must be more visible. An reform must also be visible.

 

Dr. Fayyad : Wolfensohn on the ground is a positive thing and we welcome him.

 

Sec. Rice : This will focus international efforts.