Cablegate: Icrc President Meets Prime Minister Olmert

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Carol X Weakley 08/11/2006 04:49:24 PM From DB/Inbox: Carol X Weakley

Cable
Text:

UNCLAS TEL AVIV 03150

SIPDIS
CXTelA:
ACTION: POL
INFO: AMB AID ADM IPSC PD IMO RES ECON DCM DAO RSO
CONS

DISSEMINATION: POL
CHARGE: PROG

APPROVED: AMB:RJONES
DRAFTED: POL:JNMILLER
CLEARED: DCM:GCRETZ, POL/C:NOLSEN

VZCZCTVI968
PP RUEHC RUEHXK RUEHAM RUEHLB RUEHDM RUEHJM
RUEHGV RUCNDT
DE RUEHTV #3150 2221600
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 101600Z AUG 06
FM AMEMBASSY TEL AVIV
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 5538
INFO RUEHXK/ARAB ISRAELI COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHAM/AMEMBASSY AMMAN PRIORITY 0531
RUEHLB/AMEMBASSY BEIRUT PRIORITY 0721
RUEHDM/AMEMBASSY DAMASCUS PRIORITY 1448
RUEHJM/AMCONSUL JERUSALEM PRIORITY 4162
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA PRIORITY 0516
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 3878

UNCLAS TEL AVIV 003150

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

DEPT FOR NEA/IPA; PRM FOR RICHARD GREENE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREF PHUM PGOV IS LE
SUBJECT: ICRC PRESIDENT MEETS PRIME MINISTER OLMERT

REF: SEPTEL

1. (SBU) MFA Director of International Organizations Daniel
Meron told poloff August 10 that Prime Minister Ehud Olmert
assured visiting ICRC President Jakob Kellenberger earlier
that day that the GOI supports ICRC efforts to provide
humanitarian assistance to civilians in southern Lebanon.
Olmert emphasized, Meron said, that his government will
respond to any special requests from ICRC. Meron noted that
Olmert gave to Kellenberger the phone number of his personal
assistant so that Kellenberger can reach Olmert directly in
case of an emergency. Meron also said that Olmert cited the
recent example in Houla, where Meron said that the IDF
suspended military operations in order to allow ICRC to
evacuate and provide medical attention to injured civilians.
(See septel.) Meron said Olmert informed Kellenberger that
the GOI will allow an ICRC ship full of food and supplies to
dock in Tyre.

2. (SBU) Meron also explained that ICRC has asked the GOI
to renew the practice of permitting family members to visit
in Israeli jails those Palestinian prisoners from the Gaza
Strip. Olmert informed Kellenberger that the GOI would
recommence this practice, which it halted following the June
25 kidnapping of IDF soldier Gilad Shalit.

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