MIDDLE EAST: MALAYSIAN FOREIGN MINISTER HAMID

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KUALA LUMPUR 001353

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/21/2016
TAGS: PREL PGOV MY IS LE
SUBJECT: MIDDLE EAST: MALAYSIAN FOREIGN MINISTER HAMID
URGES U.S. ACTION ON CEASE FIRE

REF: A. KUALA LUMPUR 931


B. KUALA LUMPUR 964

Classified By: Ambassador Christopher J. LaFleur for
reasons 1.4(B)and(D)


1. (C) SUMMARY: During a July 21 meeting with the
Ambassador called at the Foreign Minister's request, FM Hamid
urged that the U.S. get all sides in the current Lebanon
crisis to implement a cease fire as soon as possible. He
labeled Israel's response to the kidnapping of its soldiers
as "disproportionate," and claimed that demanding the return
of the soldiers before implementing a cease fire would only
result in more civilian deaths. Hamid also stated that
Malaysia is willing to send peacekeepers to the area.
Ambassador LaFleur replied that the U.S. had conveyed to the
Israelis that while they have the right to defend themselves,
they also need to avoid civilian casualties and urged the GOM
to encourage Hezbollah's and Hamas' backers to cease their
attacks. Hamid stressed that although Malaysians were
concerned about the Middle East situation, there would be no
security problem with respect to the Secretary's security
during her July 27-28 visit to Kuala Lumpur and he was
personally looking forward to meeting with her. END SUMMARY.


2. (C) Foreign Minister Hamid said he had requested a
meeting with Ambassador LaFleur in order to express his
government's concern about the situation in the Middle East.
Malaysia believes that the U.S. has a unique role to play in
the current crisis, Hamid explained, and there's a growing
belief among Muslim countries that Washington is not doing
enough to achieve a cease fire. A cease fire needs to be
established immediately, and waiting for the Israeli soldiers
to be released will just prolong the conflict and result in
further civilian deaths, Hamid said. He argued that
everybody recognizes the right of self defense, but acts of
self defense must be seen to be proportionate, and Israel's
responses to the kidnappings of its soldiers have exceeded
the level of the original provocations. As Chairman of both
the NAM and the OIC, he appealed to the American sense of
justice and reasonableness and urged that the U.S. get both
sides to call a cease fire as soon as possible.


3. (C) FM Hamid said he was not only concerned about the
Palistinians, but about regional stability in the Middle
East. He said that the Secretary of the Arab League had
recently told him that there's a feeling among Arab countries
that no-one cares about ending the crisis. He worried that
"extremist organizations will have a recruiting field day;"
that they would take advantage of the situation to create
further instability, and that this would further frustrate
efforts to resolve the crisis. Hamid commented that the
Quartet by itself is unable to resolve the crisis and that
the UNSC needed to be seized with the issue. He added that
Malaysia was willing to take part in a "stabilizing force"
should the situation warrant it, but he first appealed to the
U.S. to help stop the bombing and "get the parties together."
He cited press reports claiming that the U.S. had given
Israel's campaign a "green light." "Nobody supports
terrorism," Hamid concluded, "but the lack of proportion in
the Israeli response puts us in a difficult position, and we
need the U.S. to act."


4. (C) Ambassador LaFleur replied that the U.S. had
conveyed to the Israelis that while they have the right to
defend themselves, they also need to avoid civilian
casualties. It was apparent, he added, that Malaysia's
fellow OIC members,Iran and Syria, were in large part
responsible for the crisis because of their encouragement and
support for Hezbollah and Hamas. The Ambassador stressed
that we needed not only to address the crisis but to address
its causes as well, to avoid repeated violence in the future.
He urged the GOM to encourage Hezbollah's and Hamas' backers
to stop supporting violence and to contribute to a
resolution. Secretary Rice is fully engaged in the effort to
resolve the problem, he added, and he was confident the level
of the U.S. effort would be clear in the days ahead.


5. (C) FM Hamid concluded the meeting by stating that while
Malaysians were concerned about the Middle East, extremist
groups could not operate in Malaysia, and there would be no
security problem for the U.S. in general, and the Secretary
in particular. The Ambassador informed the FM that the
ruling party's youth wing had organized a demonstration in
front of the Embassy for that afternoon. The Foreign

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Minister, who looked surprised at this news, said the
demonstration had no government support and reiterated that
there would be no problem for the Secretary during her visit.
He was very much looking forward to meeting her in Kuala
Lumpur.
LAFLEUR