NEW OIC SECRETARY GENERAL ON ISRAEL/PALESTINE,

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ISTANBUL 001090

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/13/2014
TAGS: KISL PREL PGOV TU
SUBJECT: NEW OIC SECRETARY GENERAL ON ISRAEL/PALESTINE,
SUDAN, AND THE OIC

REF: JEDDAH 1603

Classified By: Consul-General David Arnett for Reasons 1.5 (b&d)


1. (C) Summary and Comment: Elected on June 16 as the next
Organization of Islamic Conferences (OIC) Secretary General
(reftel),Dr. Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu met with poloff on July 12
to discuss his recent election, plans for the organization,
and views on a range of topics. Well-known to the Consulate,
Ihsanoglu will likely bring a more academic and less
political approach to the OIC. Ihsanoglu's experience and
fluent English should make him an accessible and reasonable
interlocutor, but his views on Israel/Palestine and U.S.
policy in the Middle East will ensure that he is a firm
advocate of long-held OIC positions on these and other
issues. End Summary and Comment.


2. (SBU) Meeting with poloff on July 12, Dr. Ekmeleddin
Ihsanoglu, the Director General of the Istanbul-based
Research Center for Islamic History, Art, and Culture
(IRCICA, a subsidiary of the OIC),credited both Turkish
diplomacy and his own qualifications for his recent
appointment as the next OIC Secretary General. Following an
initial impasse among three candidates (from Turkey,
Malaysia, and Bangladesh) for the position (note: by
tradition the position rotates between the Arab, African, and
Asian groups within the OIC),Ihsanoglu was selected in the
first-ever OIC "election" by 32 of the 56 voting members.
Ihsanoglu told poloff that he sees this election, although
the ballot was secret, as a particularly significant
democratic development. Asked whether it should be seen as a
precedent or a one-time incident, Ihsanoglu said that as the
presiding Secretary General for the next appointment he hopes
to ensure that this practice is institutionalized.


3. (C) Ihsanoglu remarked that the Istanbul OIC Meeting, like
previous gatherings, was characterized by a consensus on the
need for more democratic reform and civil society development
among member states. Several speakers underlined the "image"
problem faced by the Islamic world in light of continuing
terrorist activities. Poloff suggested that these statements
point to significant areas of common cause with the U.S.
Broader Middle East and North Africa initiative. Ihsanoglu
seized on the opening to lambaste the U.S. for what he called
a "short-sighted, one-size-fits-all" approach to the region.
While conceding that the U.S. has a credibility problem,
poloff assured Ihsanoglu that we are keenly aware of the
regional diversity and do not intend to "impose" our own
democratic model on the region. Based only on the
self-stated objectives of the OIC and its members, poloff
reiterated that there should be substantial room for
cooperation in this area.


4. (C) Returning to the subject of U.S. credibility in the
region, Ihsanoglu agreed that much of the public criticism
directed against the U.S. was unwarranted. Ihsanoglu
conceded that U.S. interventions in Somalia, Bosnia, and
KOSOVO on behalf of local Muslim populations directly
contradict charges of a U.S. "anti-Islamic" bias (Note: An
expert on Bosnia, Ihsanoglu could not resist commenting that
intervention had come late and that the Dayton Accords had
created an unworkable situation for the Bosnian Muslims. End
Note). Asked for his views on the ongoing crisis in Darfur,
Sudan, Ihsanoglu openly dismissed OIC efforts and statements
to date as inadequate and undertook to take a more aggressive
approach on such humanitarian crises.


5. (C) Ihsanoglu pointed to the Israel/Palestinian issue as
the principal cause for the lack of U.S. credibility in the
region. Ihsanoglu remarked that as a teenager growing up in
Cairo, despite official propaganda to the contrary, he
remembered the U.S. as the "land of the free" and as an
"unbiased arbitrator." This public image, he added ruefully,
has been turned on its head over the last few decades.
Ihsanoglu called on the U.S. to pressure Israel to abandon
the "illegal" wall it is constructing, its settlements in the
occupied territories, and its tactics of humiliation and
violence. Poloff argued that the U.S. is prepared to urge
both sides to reach an agreement, but that any settlement
will depend on the leadership and political will of the
parties. Ihsanoglu concurred when poloff noted that the
absence of such leadership and any kind of democratic
legitimacy on the Palestinian side are major obstacles to
peace. Ihsanoglu reminded poloff, however, that this issue
led to the creation of the OIC and remains its "raison
d'tre."


6. (C) Ihsanoglu told poloff that the hiring of more capable
and experienced staff would be his highest priority as OIC
Secretary General when he assumes office next year. Clearly

SIPDIS
dissatisfied with the caliber of the existing OIC staff,
Ihsanoglu stressed the need for more "capable" personnel with
"international (i.e., U.N.) experience." Although the four
OIC Assistant Secretary Generals are appointed by the OIC
members, Ihsanoglu believes that he will be in a position to
make a positive difference at the middle and lower levels of
the 150-strong OIC staff.


7. (SBU) Bio Notes:

Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, a Turkish national, was born in 1943 in
Cairo, Egypt. Before assuming his current position as the
Director General of the Research Center for Islamic History,
Art, and Culture (IRCICA) in 1980, Ihsanoglu was a professor
of organic chemistry and has since continued his academic
career as a professor of the history of science. As the
Director General of IRCICA and the Secretary of the
International Commission for the Preservation of Islamic
Cultural Heritage, Ihsanoglu has organized and directed
research projects on various aspects of Islamic culture and
civilization and has also edited a number of publications and
periodicals. He is fluent in Turkish, Arabic, and English
and has a working knowledge of French and Persian. He is
married with three sons.

Ihsanoglu has been a valuable Consulate contact for many
years. He is urbane, intellectual, friendly, and
approachable. While adept at developing and maintaining
political contacts, Ihsanoglu's knowledge of foreign affairs
and his personal manner and style are more academic than
political.

Visit Consulate-General Istanbul's classified website at
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/Istanbul/inde x.cfm
ARNETT