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