US embassy cable - 05MUSCAT1534

C O N F I D E N T I A L MUSCAT 001534 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA, NEA/I, NEA/ARPI 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/13/2015 
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, IZ, MU, International Relations 
SUBJECT: MGIZ02: DEMARCHE REQUEST ON IRAQI CONSTITUTION 
COMPROMISE 
 
REF: SECSTATE 188987 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Richard L. Baltimore III. 
Reason: 1.4 (b, d). 
 
1. (C)  The Ambassador spoke on October 13 with Minister 
Responsible for Foreign Affairs Yusuf bin Alawi to deliver 
reftel demarche encouraging Oman's public support for the 
October 15 Iraqi constitutional referendum and the 
compromises reached October 12. 
 
2. (C) Bin Alawi hailed the compromise as a "good move" that 
"demonstrates that the Iraqis are moving forward to 
stability." The Minister opined that the fact that some Sunni 
leaders agreed to the compromise and others did not is just a 
tactic to gain leverage and should not deter the onward march 
of democratic forces. He agreed wholeheartedly that there is 
a need to encourage all parties to vote on October 15th and 
undertook to make a public statement along those lines. 
 
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Comment 
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3. (C) The Minister's response was fully consistent with his 
October 3 remarks to the Arab regional press in which he 
stated "The Arab states are supporting the Iraqi government 
in everything leading to its stability," and his call on all 
Iraqis to work together in building a new Iraq based on 
democratic principles.  In addition, the September 26-27 
convening in Muscat of the Oman-Iraq Joint Committee was the 
first such meeting since the fall of Saddam, and the 
highest-level Iraqi visit to Oman since late 2003.  The Iraqi 
delegation to those talks, headed by Iraq's Transport Under 
Secretary Atta Nabeel Ouni, also included a substantial trade 
 
SIPDIS 
delegation led by Iraqi Chamber of Commerce President Aboud 
Mohammed al-Tufaili. 
 
BALTIMORE