US embassy cable - 05AMMAN8024

C O N F I D E N T I A L AMMAN 008024 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR IO, NEA/I, S/I 
PARIS FOR UNMISSION UNESCO 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/05/2015 
TAGS: ETRD, PREL, SCUL, IZ, JO, UNECSO, BHUM 
SUBJECT: FM KASRAWI ON UNESCO, ARAB LEAGUE-IRAQ TIES 
 
REF: STATE 184292 
 
Classified By: CDA David Hale for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) 
 
UNESCO 
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1.  (SBU)  Charge delivered reftel demarche on the UNESCO 
Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity 
of Cultural Expressions to Foreign Minister Kasrawi October 
6.  Kasrawi also shared a brief readout with Charge of the 
October 2 meeting of the Arab League Contact Group in Jeddah. 
 Walid Obeidat, head of Kasrawi's private office, and poloff 
notetaker also attended the meeting. 
 
2.  (C)  In response to the Charge's points regarding the 
UNESCO demarche, Kasrawi noted that he had seen the results 
of recent votes on the Convention, and added that he 
understood the U.S. position of seeking delay of the vote 
until a proper review of the Convention could be made. 
Kasrawi said he would review the Convention further with 
Minister of Communication Nadia Saeed. 
 
AL Meeting on Iraq in Jeddah 
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3.  (C)  FM Kasrawi said the bottom line of the Arab League's 
Contact Group meeting in Jeddah, in his view, was to get 
Iraqi Sunnis involved in a national discussion since no one 
wanted them left out.  Kasrawi also noted that Iraqi Prime 
Minister Ibrahim al-Ja'Fari - who is to visit Amman October 
10, according to Kasrawi - expressed frustration that no one 
from the Arab League had visited Iraq.  Kasrawi said he 
understood that Arab League Secretary General Amre Musa 
planned to send a deputy to Baghdad prior to the plebiscite. 
In Jeddah, Kasrawi urged Musa to go himself, and soon. 
Kasrawi also said Iraqi Foreign Minister told him Iraq wants 
to see a Musa visit, the opening of Arab embassies and the 
posting of Arab ambassadors to Iraq soon. 
HALE