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).

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Summary
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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.

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Iraq
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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."

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Israel-Palestine
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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."

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Reform in the GCC
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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."

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U.S.-Islamic Dialogue
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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.

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Comment
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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