DEPUTY FOREIGN MINISTER SADIKOV SAYS "THE TIME IS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 BAKU 001715

SIPDIS

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DEPARTMENT FOR P, G; ALSO FOR EUR/CARC

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/22/2016
TAGS: PGOV PREL KISL AJ PK EG MY
SUBJECT: DEPUTY FOREIGN MINISTER SADIKOV SAYS "THE TIME IS
RIGHT" FOR USG TO ENGAGE WITH THE OIC

REF: A. STATE 158801

B. STATE 171576

C. JEDDAH 00695

D. BAKU 01681

Classified By: Ambassador Anne Derse for reasons 1.4 b and d.


1. (C) Summary. The Ambassador met with Deputy Foreign
Minister Vagif Sadikov November 20 to discuss Azerbaijan's
priorities as the chair of the Organization of the Islamic
Conference (OIC)'s Foreign Ministers' Conference. According
to Sadikov, the GOAJ seeks to "breathe new life" into the
organization and be a voice for moderation. Azerbaijan views
OIC Secretary General Ihsanoglu as a dynamic leader seeking
to revitalize the OIC and believes key member states back the
need for internal OIC reforms. The GOAJ is pursuing three
initiatives within the OIC: supporting a conference on the
media's role in promoting tolerance; creating a new
ministeral forum for law-enforcement agencies; and fostering
an OIC-EU dialogue on promoting religious tolerance in school
textbooks. Sadikov applauded U/S Burns' outreach to the OIC,
commenting that "the time is right" for the USG to engage
more closely with the OIC; we strongly endorse the OIC's
request for high-level USG representation at the April 2007
conference on the media and tolerance (ref d). End Summary.


2. (C) The Ambassador met with Deputy Foreign Minister Vagif
Sadikov November 20 to discuss U/S Burns' outreach to the OIC
Secretary General, Azerbaijan's priorities in the

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Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) for the
remainder of its tenure as Chair of the Foreign Minsters'
Conference, and the USG's interest in engaging with the
organization. The Ambassador noted that the strong
US-Azerbaijani relationship is based on three interrealted
areas: bolstering regional and global stability, diversifying
energy sources, and strengthening economic and democratic
reforms. There is an opportunity to develop the
US-Azerbaijani relationship in the context of President
Aliyev's April visit to Washington. The USG is interested in
cooperating with the GOAJ as it chairs the OIC's Foreign
Ministers Conference. (Note: Sadikov said the GOAJ will
complete its chairmanship in May, when Pakistan will assume
the chairmanship. The GOAJ will remain a member of the OIC
Troika for the next year, however.) The Ambassador briefed
Sadikov on the ongoing dialogue between U/S Burns and OIC
Secretary General Ihsanoglu regarding inter-faith dialogue

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and increased interaction between the OIC and the U.S. (refs
a-c).

Background on the OIC
--------------


3. (C) Sadikov said the GOAJ has been an OIC member since

1991. Sadikov remarked that the OIC is important for
Azerbaijan at three levels: it is a major international
organization; it includes many (57) countries; and it has
been supportive of Azerbaijan's position on the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Regarding NK, Sadikov explained
that the GOAJ is sensitive to not using the OIC as a forum to
cast the conflict as a religious clash.

"The Time is Right" for US-OIC Engagement
--------------


4. (C) Commenting on the potential for the US to work with
the OIC, and U/S Burns' discussions with OIC Secretary
General Ihsanoglu, Sadikov said "the time is right" for
cooperation. He reviewed several internal OIC processes that
underscore the opportunity for the US to work more closely
with a revitalized organization. First, Ihsanoglu is a
motivated, dynamic leader. He has a strong background in
public diplomacy and a good network of relations among
members. Second, there is growing sense among some members
that the OIC needs to be reformed. This energy needs to be
channeled in the right direction so the OIC becomes "more
open" and "really instrumental." Sadikov identified Egypt,
Malaysia, and Pakistan as states that seek to reform the
organization. At Pakistan's initiative two years ago, there
were expert-level discussions on examining proposals for
reforming the organization. These discussions prompted the
Ten Year Action Program that was adopted in December 2005.

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The document lays out specific reforms for the OIC to
address.

GOAJ's views on the OIC
--------------


5. (C) President Aliyev, according to Sadikov, played a key
role in formulating the GOAJ's policy of using its OIC
leadership role to "breathe new life" into the organization.
Sadikov acknowledged that the GOAJ has a large agenda for the
OIC, but Baku seeks to add a fresh perspective to the
organization. The GOAJ also sees itself as a voice of
moderation within the OIC.


6. (C) Sadikov said he was optimistic about the prospects
for internal OIC reforms. Sadikov was particularly upbeat
about OIC Secretary General Ihsanoglu because he "has
breathed new life into the organization" and "seeks to keep
the organization relevant and upgrade its work." The OIC is
a "good framework," according to Sadikov, which the GOAJ
seeks to build upon by offering concrete proposals. As an
example of the OIC's more open approach, Sadikov noted that
the OIC organized a meeting of Iraqi Sunni and Shia in Mecca,
with the goal of promoting tolerance. In addition, the OIC
moderated Iran's initial nuclear proposals at the June OIC
summit in Baku.


7. (C) Sadikov acknowledged the OIC's internal cohesion
problems, remarking that many of the broader Islamic world's
challenges are reflected within the OIC. He said there are
three clusters of members: the big, influential Arab states;
South Asia and Southeast Asia; and Post-Soviet Muslim states.
These three groups have different priorities, which is
sometimes reflected in the OIC'S varying positions. The
members have diverse cultural, historical, educational, and
political orientations, which sometimes makes its functions
"difficult."

Azerbaijan's OIC Priorities
--------------


8. (C) Sadikov reviewed three projects that are the GOAJ's
top OIC priorities:


A. Conference on "The Role of the Media in Promoting
Tolerance and Understanding," to be held in April 2007 (ref
d). Baku helped put forward this initiative within the OIC,
which the MFA and the OIC Secretariat will co-sponsor. The
GOAJ seeks to invite 120-150 representatives from the media,
academia, NGO's, and international organizations to this
conference. Sadikov said that probable invitees include
representatives from Amnesty International, Reporters without
Borders, Human Rights Watch, International Press Institute,
CNN, Reuters, Al Jazeera, the Council of Europe, and the
OSCE.

Sadikov emphasized that the GOAJ sought "a less formal
approach" in selecting invitees than the OIC's more rigid
approach of inviting country delegations. The GOAJ also
hopes the conference will be hosted within the framework of
the UN "Alliance of Civilizations" initiative that seeks to
overcome misunderstanding between Western and Islamic
societies. The GOAJ hopes to send invitations by year's end.
Sadikov reiterated Foreign Minister Mammadyarov's request for
senior US representation at the event (ref d). Sadikov said
the MFA would welcome USG suggestions for the invitee list
after it is finalized. Sadikov also remarked that he hoped
the conference would conclude with a positive, strong final
communique stressing the importance of the media in promoting
tolerance.


B. Create an OIC ministerial meeting for heads of law
enforcement agencies. While there are ministerial meetings
for culture, economy, tourism, and other spheres, the GOAJ
believes that a new forum needs to be created for addressing
transnational issues. Sadikov candidly noted that many
transnational problems, such as terrorism and money
laundering, emanate from OIC countries. Some OIC countries
were initially resistant to this proposal. Sadikov said the
Iranian representatives were skeptical of the proposal
because they had they had organized a meeting of OIC police

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chiefs several months before Baku raised this proposal. The
GOAJ argued that the ministerial's purpose is to
institutionalize a focus on transnational problems, while
maintaining a flexible approach. For example, the ministeral
would include different types of law enforcement agencies
(eg. customs, police chiefs),depending on the particular
issue being addressed. Furthermore, the ministerial would
address a wide spectrum of transnational problems.

Sadikov said that experts will examine the rules and
modalities of this proposal in January or February. Sadikov
said Turkey, Malaysia, Egypt, and Pakistan are interested in
this proposal and are likely to attend this expert-level
meeting. They will produce a terms of reference document,
which will be forwarded to Pakistan in May 2007, when it
assumes the chairmanship of the Foreign Minsters Conference.


C. Engage in an EU-OIC dialogue on promoting religious
tolerance in school textbooks. The purpose is to ensure that
textbooks foster mutual understanding and religious
tolerance. The GOAJ is currently preparing materials for
expert-level meetings on this topic.


Tidbits on GOAJ Financial Intelligence Unit
--------------


9. (C) The Ambassador reminded Sadikov that the USG is ready
to assist the GOAJ with its financial intelligence unit once
the enabling legislation is passed. The US can provide
training programs. Sadikov thanked the Ambassador for the US
support, acknowledging that "the key is implementation" of
the legislation and Baku could benefit from Washington's
assistance in this area. Sadikov said the law is in
Parliament, but he didn't know when it would be debated. In
response to the Ambassador's question, Sadikov said that the
Ministry of Finance probably would be the most appropriate
ministry to host the unit. (However, the GOAJ has not yet
identified which ministry would host the unit; the Ministry
of National Security and National Bank of Azerbaijan also are
under consideration.)

Tidbits on Iranian Charities
--------------


10. (C) In response to the Ambassador's question, Sadikov
was confident that the GOAJ has a good handle on Iranian
charities that may seek to radicalize refugee groups. He
explained that the State Committee on Refugees monitors such
charities. In addition, the MFA and the Ministry of National
Security screen charities before they are registered.

Comment
--------------


11. (C) The USG has a unique opportunity to work with the
GOAJ to reinforce our goal of promoting reform, freedom, and
tolerance in the Muslim world. The upcoming OIC-GOAJ
conference on "The Role of the Media in Promoting Tolerance
and Understanding," presents an excellent opportunity to
build on the OIC engagement initiated by U/S Burns, and we
strongly endorse FM Mammadyarov,s request for senior-level
USG representation.
DERSE