OMAN FM SPEAKS OUT ON IRAQ, PALESTINE, REFORM

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 MUSCAT 000615 SIPDIS STATE FOR NEA, NEA/I, NEA/ARPI E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/13/2015 TAGS: PREL OPDC KISL KPAL IZ XF MU SUBJECT: OMAN FM SPEAKS OUT ON IRAQ, PALESTINE, REFORM REF: A. MUSCAT 599 ¶B. MUSCAT 581 Classified By: William R. Stewart, Charge d'Affairs, a.i. Reason: 1.4 (d). -------------- Summary -------------- ¶1. (C) Despite not having made a public statement of support following the January 30 parliamentary elections in Iraq, Omani Foreign Minister Yusuf bin Alawi praised democratic developments in Iraq in an April 12 press interview in Qatar. Speaking on the margins of the U.S.-Islamic World Forum, the Minister also endorsed President Bush's vision of Palestinian and Israeli states existing side-by-side, but voiced concern over Israel's "un-transparent" policy. He praised reform and democratization in the GCC, and found the U.S.-Islamic dialogue to be beneficial to all sides. End summary. ¶2. (U) On the margins of his attendance at the April 10-12 "U.S.-Islamic World Forum" in Doha, organized by the Brookings Institution, Minister Responsible for Foreign Affairs Yusuf bin Alawi gave a press interview to the Qatari daily "al-Raya" in which he offered public praise on several issues. -------------- Iraq -------------- ¶3. (U) Asked for his read on the political process in Iraq, the Minister stated "We are certainly satisfied with what has happened in Iraq: the democratic development, holding of elections, and the recent selection of leaders of the political institutions." -------------- Israel-Palestine -------------- ¶4. (U) Questioned about U.S. policy towards Israel and Palestine, the Minister expressed confidence that President Bush and his Administration were well aware of positive and negative trends in the peace process. Echoing U.S. policy, he said, "We expect the U.S. Administration to be committed to the vision declared by President Bush for the establishment of a Palestinian state side-by-side with the Israeli state, having peaceful coexistence through the mechanism as prescribed by the Roadmap." He nevertheless criticized mixed signals from the Israeli government (presumably Gaza withdrawal on one hand, and proposed West Bank settlement expansion on the other),saying that without a clearer commitment to the Roadmap, "Arab countries would not be ready to enter into broader negotiations on coexistence with Israel." -------------- Reform in the GCC -------------- ¶5. (U) The Minister voiced praise for democratization and reform in the Gulf region. Bin Alawi said, "The GCC countries are currently witnessing significant strides toward this end. In many of the GCC states there are elections and public participation. I wish to note here the important transitions occurring in Qatar, with regard to the reform process. This would certainly be in the interests of all Gulf citizens." -------------- U.S.-Islamic Dialogue -------------- ¶6. (U) Praising the Forum taking place in Doha, Bin Alawi offered mild criticism of Arab and Muslim societies for paying too little heed to dialogue with their own cultural elites. In contrast, he credited such elites in America as having a beneficial influence on U.S. leaders and policymakers. He therefore thought the American participants at the Forum stood to benefit even more than the Arabs from their participation in the Brookings event, but that both sides had much to gain from the dialogue. -------------- Comment -------------- ¶7. (C) While Bin Alawi's remarks in the interview track with Oman's position in private meetings with USG officials (for example, ref A),this was one of the rare instances in which a senior Omani official expressed those views publicly. As reported ref B, the Sultan likewise made positive statements about Iraq's transition in congratulating the recently appointed Iraqi president and prime minister. While we do not expect the Omani government to change overnight its long-held practice of preferring quiet diplomacy over public utterances, we were pleased to see this interview and will continue to encourage Oman to find similar opportunities in the future. STEWART