SOMALIA: ARAB LEAGUE INVITES USG TO ATTEND TALKS

UNCLAS CAIRO 006550 SIPDIS SIPDIS FOR NEA/ELA AND AF/E E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PGOV PTER ARABL EG SO SUBJECT: SOMALIA: ARAB LEAGUE INVITES USG TO ATTEND TALKS IN KHARTOUM STARTING OCTOBER 30 REF: CAIRO 6233 ¶1. (U) This is an action message. See paragraph four. ¶2. (U) During the October 24-25 Eid al-Fitr holiday, Embassy Cairo received a fax from the Arab League inviting USG "attendance" for a third round of Somalia peace talks scheduled to commence in Khartoum on October 30. According to the fax (text below),the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia and the Union of Islamic Courts consented to USG participation in this round of talks (reftel),held under the joint auspices of the Arab League and IGAD Chair Kenya. ¶3. (U) Begin text of invitation (corrected for spelling): The League of Arab States - African and Afro-Arab Cooperation department - would like to express its sincere compliments to the Embassy of (the) United States of America. The League of Arab States has received a verbal approval from both the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia (TFG), and the Union of Islamic Courts (ICU),regarding the third round of the Somali Peace Talks, scheduled to take place on the 30th of October, 2006, in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum. The League of Arab States would like to invite your esteemed organization to attend this round of negotiations, which will be held under the co-auspices of both the League of Arab States and the Republic of Kenya (the current Chairman of the IGAD). The League of Arab States is pleased to take this opportunity to renew the expression of its sincere consideration to the Government of (the) United States of America. End text of invitation. ¶4. (U) Post requests instructions on how to respond to the Arab League invitation. ¶5. (U) Khartoum minimize considered. RICCIARDONE