IRAQ: SHEIKH OF AL AZHAR AND OTHER EGYPTIAN

C O N F I D E N T I A L CAIRO 001185 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/26/2016 TAGS: PREL PGOV PTER EG IZ SUBJECT: IRAQ: SHEIKH OF AL AZHAR AND OTHER EGYPTIAN NOTABLES DENOUNCE SAMARRA ATTACK, CALL FOR END TO SECTARIAN STRIFE REF: A. STATE 31188 ¶B. STATE 28802 Classified by DCM Stuart Jones for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (SBU) On February 25, during an unprecedented visit to the Iraqi Embassy in Cairo, Al Azhar's Sheikh Mohamed Sayed Tantawi, Egyptian Grand Mufti Ali Gomaa, and Minister of Religious Endowments Hamdy Zaqzouq conducted a lengthy, televised press conference with Iraqi Charge Saad Ridha aimed at easing sectarian tensions in Iraq following the destruction of the Shia Al-Askaria Shrine in Samarra. During the highly publicized event, Sheikh Tantawi extolled Iraqi factions to resort to dialogue over violence and avoid divisions between Sunna and Shia sects. In addition to his conciliatory words, Tantawi offered to travel to Iraq if invited to mediate between factions. His offer, we understand from the Iraqi Charge, was quickly accepted by Iraqi Prime Minister Jafari, who made the offer on television February 26. Egyptian Grand Mufti Gomaa and Minister of Religious Endowments Zaqzouq echoed Tantawi's calls for peace and reconciliation, and denouced the "criminal acts" on Iraqi places of worship. ¶2. (U) On a less helpful note, Al Azhar University President Ahmed Al-Tayyeb also spoke at the conference, deploring current divisions between Iraqi Shia and Sunnis but accusing "Zionist intelligence agencies" of scheming to impair the image of Muslims "to make them look divided and weak." Al-Tayyeb's Deputy, Omar al-Deeb, sounded a similarly conspiratorial note after his denunciation of attacks on houses of worship in Iraq, accusing "invisible hands" of foul play. ¶3. (C) The visit and press conference by Sheikh Tantawi at the Iraqi Embassy come after several requests by the DCM and other Embassy officers to senior GOE officials to take quick action to denounce the Samarra attack and stress publicly the importance of easing tensions inside Iraq. The DCM passed this message directly to Al Azhar senior advisor Ali Saman on February 23, following his participation in a civil-society roundtable discussion with the Secretary. ¶4. (U) Arab League Secretary General Amre Moussa also issued a formal statement February 25 on the Samarra attack, citing his phone call that day to Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, in which Moussa urged him to "utilize his wisdom and good offices in working to calm the situation in Iraq and maintain the unity of the people. Moussa also called for not giving a chance to those who want to create sectarian strife among the various sects of Iraqi society." RICCIARDONE