FM POSITIVE ON IRAQ, GAZA

UNCLAS MUSCAT 001253 SIPDIS SENSITIVE FOR NEA/ARPI, NEA/PPD E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL OPRC XF MU SUBJECT: FM POSITIVE ON IRAQ, GAZA REF: MUSCAT 1171 ¶1. (U) Local and regional media gave wide coverage to Minister Responsible for Foreign Affairs Yusuf bin Alawi's August 7 press comments on Iraq and Palestine. Meeting his Egyptian counterpart and Arab League SecGen Moussa to discuss the postponed AL summit, Bin Alawi said that Iraqi political forces were carrying out their designated role, and he expected that completing the constitution would help considerably in overcoming the current security situation. Of foreign forces, he said they had a specific mission to accomplish in Iraq and, once accomplished, they would not remain there. The minister likewise endorsed Arab assistance to Palestine in view of the ongoing Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. ¶2. (SBU) While MFA officials underscored to Pol Chief on August 10 that speaking out publicly on issues is not the Sultanate's typical style of conducting foreign policy, the minister's positive press statements on Iraq came only a couple weeks after he gave a similarly optimistic interview on the war on terrorism (reftel). Despite the minister's foreign travel, we continue to encourage his staff to schedule an interview with Al-Hurra that the minister had previously offered to do. BALTIMORE