US embassy cable - 05MUSCAT1253

UNCLAS MUSCAT 001253 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
FOR NEA/ARPI, NEA/PPD 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, OPRC, XF, MU, International Relations 
SUBJECT: FM POSITIVE ON IRAQ, GAZA 
 
REF: MUSCAT 1171 
 
1. (U) Local and regional media gave wide coverage to 
Minister Responsible for Foreign Affairs Yusuf bin Alawi's 
August 7 press comments on Iraq and Palestine.  Meeting his 
Egyptian counterpart and Arab League SecGen Moussa to discuss 
the postponed AL summit, Bin Alawi said that Iraqi political 
forces were carrying out their designated role, and he 
expected that completing the constitution would help 
considerably in overcoming the current security situation. 
Of foreign forces, he said they had a specific mission to 
accomplish in Iraq and, once accomplished, they would not 
remain there.  The minister likewise endorsed Arab assistance 
to Palestine in view of the ongoing Israeli withdrawal from 
Gaza. 
 
2. (SBU) While MFA officials underscored to Pol Chief on 
August 10 that speaking out publicly on issues is not the 
Sultanate's typical style of conducting foreign policy, the 
minister's positive press statements on Iraq came only a 
couple weeks after he gave a similarly optimistic interview 
on the war on terrorism (reftel).  Despite the minister's 
foreign travel, we continue to encourage his staff to 
schedule an interview with Al-Hurra that the minister had 
previously offered to do. 
BALTIMORE