(C) FONMIN ON ARAB LEAGUE REFORM AND GME

C O N F I D E N T I A L KUWAIT 000760

SIPDIS

STATE FOR NEA, NEA/ARN, NEA/ENA, NEA/ARP

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/06/2014
TAGS: PREL XF KU
SUBJECT: (C) FONMIN ON ARAB LEAGUE REFORM AND GME

Classified By: AMB. RICHARD H. JONES; REASON 1.4 (B, D)


1. (C) Ambassador met March 6 with Foreign Minister Shaykh
Dr. Mohammed al-Sabah (other topics septels). During the
course of the meeting, the Ambassador asked about the
prospects for Arab League reform, in light of the upcoming
summit and the March 1 Ministerial in Cairo. The Minister
laughed and said "it's like when Syria is unhappy, it changes
Lebanon's government: everybody, the Americans, the Germans,
is proposing changes to the political landscape in the Arab
world, so how do the Arabs respond? They change the Arab
League." He then confided that at the March 29 Arab League
Summit, the leaders would decide to mandate the Foreign
Ministers to review the League's Charter. This was just
"kicking the can down the road."


2. (C) "We hear about the Greater Middle East Initiative,"
continued Dr. Mohammed, "but nobody has seen a document; it's
like the invisible friend Harvey." Nonetheless, at the Cairo
Ministerial, Egypt and Jordan submitted "interesting" papers
responding to GME. The Ministers did not/not discuss the
papers in Cairo.
JONES