US embassy cable - 05CAIRO7047

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 CAIRO 007047 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/12/2015 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, PTER, KPAL, PHUM, EG, IS, IZ, MEPN, ICRC 
SUBJECT: ARAB LEAGUE FOREIGN MINISTERS MEET TO DISCUSS 
IRAQ, PALESTINE, TERRORISM 
 
REF: STATE 163365 (NOTAL) 
 
Classified by DCM Stuart Jones for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
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Summary 
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1.  (C) Arab foreign ministers met in Cairo September 8 to 
discuss Iraq, Palestine, terrorism, and other key topics 
ahead of the UN General Assembly and a possible Arab 
emergency summit.  Responding to forceful Iraqi criticism, 
ministers agreed to a Saudi proposal to create a task force 
to energize Arab states to support the Iraqi government. 
Ministers welcomed Gaza disengagement (texts of key 
resolutions septel) but cautioned that much more remains to 
be done.  Iraqi FM Zebari told the Ambassador afterwards 
that, he had worked hard to convince the ministers that the 
Iraqi regime would overcome current difficulties, that it was 
not as weak as Arabs believed ("or hoped"), and that the GOI 
had no intentions of erasing its Arab identity.  The 
ministers reportedly adopted a resolution on the Magen David 
Adom issue which instructs Arab permreps to attend 
Swiss-hosted consultations September 12-13 but to reject 
further movement for the time being.  In the absence of the 
Palestinian Foreign Minister, the group avoided a decision to 
renew the League's financial support to the Palestinian 
Authority.  On terrorism, ministers called for an 
international conference and establishment of an 
anti-terrorism cooperation center but retained language 
referencing "resistance movements."  The presence of Lebanese 
Prime Minister Seniora overshadowed debate on the issue of 
Syria, while topics such as Sudan, Somalia, Mauritania, and 
regional reform were only briefly addressed.  End summary. 
 
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Annual Meeting of Foreign Ministers in Cairo 
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2.  (C) On September 8, foreign ministers from most of the 
Arab League's 22 member states met in Cairo for their annual 
ministerial meeting to discuss a variety of topics.  The 
ministers met chiefly to prepare Heads of State for the UN 
General Assembly High Level Event and an Arab League 
"emergency summit."  According to Sudan's Foreign Minister, 
the emergency summit will take place in November after 
Ramadan (approximately October 4-November 4), despite Egypt's 
wish to hold the already-delayed gathering in Egypt in early 
October. 
 
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Iraq:  FM Zebari Presses Arabs to do More 
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3.  (C) During a five-hour, ministers-only meeting, FM Zebari 
called his counterparts to task for their collective failure 
to adequately support Iraq's political transformation. 
Zebari complained bitterly that the Arabs had not yet 
established adequate diplomatic representation, sent 
visitors, provided aid, protected borders, nor even offered 
condolences after the recent stampede that killed hundreds of 
Shia marchers in Baghdad.  Arab interference in internal 
Iraqi negotiations to shape a new constitution was also high 
on the list of Zebari's reportedly blistering denunciation. 
Zebari reportedly heaped particular scorn on Arab League 
Secretary General Amre Moussa for his divisive public 
 
SIPDIS 
positions on the constitution and his assistance to Iraq's 
Sunni rejectionists.  During a private meeting with the 
Ambassador September 9, Zebari said that he had worked hard 
to convince ministers that Iraq's current regime would 
overcome its present difficulties, that it was not as weak as 
Arab states "hoped," and that the current regime did not 
intend to erase its Arab identity.  Zebari warned his 
counterparts that their contributions (or lack thereof) to 
the GOI would be remembered far into the future.  Singling 
out Egyptian FM Aboul Gheit as "helpful, yet constrained," 
Zebari complained of Egypt's "invisible (negative) influence" 
on regional public and private attitudes toward Iraq.  He 
indicated interest in finding ways to repair Baghdad's 
damaged relations with Cairo. 
 
4.  (C) Assessing the effectiveness of his efforts at the 
League, Zebari believed he had swayed opinions and built 
diplomatic support for the GOI.  After hearing Zebari's 
complaints, it was the Saudi FM who proposed creation of an 
Arab task force to mobilize support for the GOI in key areas. 
 In the same vein, Zebari said the Jordanian Prime Minister 
and other Jordanian ministers would visit Baghdad soon as a 
sign of solidarity, and that the Saudis had promised to open 
an Embassy ("security permitting") in Baghdad.  Zebari told 
the Ambassador that he had "quarreled" with his Syrian 
counterpart ("as usual") on SARG control of its border.  The 
final League resolution on Iraq (text septel), according to 
Zebari, largely echoed previous such resolutions with the 
exception of the new task force. 
 
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Aid to Palestinians a Source of Dispute 
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5.  (C) Ministers welcomed Israel's disengagement from Gaza 
and part of the northern West Bank while focusing attention 
on remaining steps to permit a viable Gaza and a Palestinian 
state.  Repeating their support for the Arab peace initiative 
(i.e., "the Beirut Declaration"), ministers called on the USG 
to lead the way in realizing President Bush's vision of a 
Palestinian state living side by side in peace with Israel. 
Nevertheless, Secretary General Moussa and others questioned 
Israeli intentions and called for a complete cessation of 
settlement construction in the West Bank and Jerusalem.  On 
the issue of assistance to the Palestinian Authority, senior 
Arab League and other local contacts confirmed reports that 
Gulf members (Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar) had sparred 
over the issue of financial support to the Palestinians, 
resulting in failure to adopt a perennial resolution on 
direct budgetary assistance to the PA.  According to 
Jordanian Embassy colleagues, the absence of Palestinian FM 
al-Kidwah due to the assasination of his uncle Moussa Arafat 
the day before, led ministers to conclude that it would be 
best for heads of state to decide the matter. 
 
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Magen David Adom Issue:  "Time Not Right" 
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6.  (C) According to a senior Arab League official, ministers 
adopted a resolution September 8 dealing with the issue of 
the Magen David Adom organization and the Third Protocol.  In 
the resolution, ministers reportedly agreed to attend the 
Swiss-hosted consultations to be held in Geneva September 
12-13 but to resist further progress for the time being. 
Repeating arguments that we have heard consistently from 
Egyptian and Arab League sources, permreps have reportedly 
been instructed to adopt the joint Arab League and 
Organization of Islamic Conferences position that states that 
"the time is not right" to pursue a diplomatic conference on 
the Third Protocol issue. 
 
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Arab Call For Anti-Terror Conference, Cooperation Center 
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7.  (C) Addressing terrorism as a separate agenda item during 
a foreign ministerial for the first time in League history, 
ministers agreed to a 9-part resolution (text septel) in 
which they called for the convening of an international 
anti-terrorism conference and the establishment of an 
international anti-terrorism cooperation center.  The 
resolution contains an explicit denunciation of "all forms of 
terrorism regardless of motives and excuses."  In the draft 
obtained by the Embassy, the resolution calls, however, for 
drafting a "comprehensive UN agreement on terrorism that 
included a clear definition of terrorism...that takes into 
account the difference between terrorism and the people's 
right to resist occupation and aggression."   This language 
clearly falls far short of UN SYG Annan's proposed simple 
definition of terrorism which was recognized as forming a 
"basis for consensus" by Amre Moussa.  Note:  Jordanian 
Charge urged poloff to consider the resolution in a positive 
light, but not to put too much weight on its significance. 
Arab states will pursue their own interests and views on this 
subject in New York, he said, regardless of the ministerial 
resolution.  Differences clearly exist on this topic that can 
only be worked out by delegations in NY, he added.  End note. 
 
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Syria, Lebanon:  PM Seniora Addresses Group 
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8.  (C) According to Embassy contacts, the Egyptians worked 
to keep the Syria-Lebanon dispute off of the agenda, in order 
not to give the Syrians a platform to complain or seek 
sympathy.  The most notable portion of the ministerial on 
these topics was a speech by visiting Lebanese Prime Minister 
Seniora who sought support for the new Lebanon.  Contacts 
present for the speech noted that Syrian Foreign Minister 
barely applauded at the conclusion despite a nearly unanimous 
conclusion that Seniora's speech had been quite good.  Syrian 
FM al Shara'a departed immediately after the speech, 
reportedly, and did not return. 
 
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Mauritania, Somalia, Sudan and Other Topics 
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9.  (SBU) The subjects of Sudan, Somalia, and Mauritania were 
discussed only briefly by ministers during this meeting. 
Ministers decided to continue support for peace-building and 
reconciliation in Sudan and Somalia, but did not offer any 
new assistance, we understand.  The Mauritanian Foreign 
Minister was welcomed by the other ministers and participated 
in the full day of meetings.  During an address to the group, 
he reportedly explained the current status of the new regime, 
stating that elections would be held in two years.  Arab 
reform also did not feature prominently in these discussions. 
 
10.  (U) Tripoli minimize considered. 
 
 
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