Talking to Groups that Use Terror.pdf - United States Institute of Peace

Step 5: Facilitate Negotiationsparties or a third party (such as a powerful state) that promise a signatorysupport—be it moral or material—once the deal is done to ensure that theterms of the deal are implemented without unwelcome surprises.In negotiations in which the parties have been able to hammer out theterms of a deal that addresses one component of their conflict (e.g., anexchange of prisoners or the declaration of a temporary cease-fire) buthave not been able to bridge the chasm of mistrust or develop anyconfidence between them, they may be prepared to sign an agreementonly if they do not have to sign with one another directly. In such asituation, the mediator can act as a signatory or can enlist a third party, sothat each party signs an agreement with the mediator or third party butnot with each other. Hamas and Israel negotiated a deal on prisonerexchanges in 2009 but were only prepared to sign up to it by signing separateagreements with Egypt, which had mediated the negotiations.Decrease External Opposition to the NegotiationsExternal actors may be helpful to and supportive of the mediator, but theyare just as likely to be obstructive. Seek to diminish the level of oppositionto the talks not only to enhance the prospects for reaching a negotiatedsettlement but also to help create an environment that is not hostile to itssubsequent implementation.A mediation effort may have been accepted—albeit reluctantly andresentfully—by the government directly involved in the conflict, but othergovernments may be vociferous in their objections to the progress of thetalks. Reasons for foreign condemnation can range from specific objectionsto the PAG being engaged in terrorist activities to a general antipathy totalking to any terrorists. Israeli governments routinely lambast any talks withHamas on the grounds that they assist Hamas in its terrorist efforts to destroythe state of Israel. Try to forestall public criticism from foreign governmentsby contacting them in advance of negotiations to explain the nature andscope of the talks and to allay concerns that the negotiations will heightenthe PAG’s international stature. Where criticism cannot be forestalled, usethe international media to keep the international community as a wholeinformed about the general tenor and direction of the talks—assuming, ofcourse, that the parties have not insisted on strict confidentiality. In the caseof states whose support is important to the mediator, use diplomaticchannels to provide a more detailed account of the progress of the81