MALAYSIA HOSTS OIC CONFERENCE ON LEBANON AND

C O N F I D E N T I A L KUALA LUMPUR 001458

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/02/2016
TAGS: PGOV PREL NACB IS LE MY
SUBJECT: MALAYSIA HOSTS OIC CONFERENCE ON LEBANON AND
PALESTINE, URGES IMMEDIATE CEASEFIRE

Classified By: Political Section Chief Mark D. Clark
for reasons 1.4 (b, d)


1. (C) Summary: Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi on
August 3 hosted dignitaries from 17 other countries belonging
to the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) to
discuss and plan a course of action in the Lebanon and
Palestine conflicts. Predictably, Abdullah called for an
immediate and unconditional ceasefire, and asked Muslim
nations to play a more proactive role in the conflict, to
include possibly sending peacekeeping troops under the UN
banner. Abdullah castigated Israel for its actions,
suggesting these represented an unfair extension of the war
on terror. While not mentioning the U.S. or other specific
countries, Abdullah raised concerns of Western agendas in the
Middle East and noted "a secret design" pursued by Israel
with the support of "others." Abdullah avoided any criticism
of Hizbollah. Iranian President Ahmadinejad backed an
immediate ceasefire, while referring to the elimination of
Israel as the "main cure." Some OIC leaders offered more
tempered views, focusing on needed UN actions (Bangladesh) or
expressing concern over the long-term impact on the Middle
East and the build up of Muslim anger (Pakistan). Initially
billed in press reports as only OIC Executive Committee
meeting, Abdullah presided over a more expansive gathering of
leaders from the Muslim world. End Summary.


2. (U) Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi hosted on August 3 a
special meeting of the OIC in Putrajaya, the administrative
capital of Malaysia. Abdullah called the meeting, officially
known as the Meeting of the Friends of the Chair of the 10th
Islamic Summit Conference, in an effort to unify the OIC and
issue a joint statement on Palestine and Lebanon. The
following heads of state, prime ministers and foreign
ministers were in attendance:

- 1) Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, representing the Sultan of
Brunei
- 2) Prince Hamzah ibn Al-Hussein, representing the King of
Jordan
- 3) President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (Indonesia)
- 4) President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (Iran)
- 5) Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia (Bangladesh)
- 6) Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz (Pakistan)
- 7) Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan (Turkey)
- 8) Prime Minister Artur Rasizadeh (Azerbaijan)
- 9) Foreign Minister Fawzi Salloukh (Lebanon)
- 10) Foreign Minister Farouk Kaddoumi (Palestine)
- 11) Foreign Minister Dr. Abubaker Abdullah Alqirbi (Yemen)
- 12) Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Dr. Nizar bin
Obeid Al Madani (Saudi Arabia)
- 13) Senior State Minister in the Office of the President,
Abdoul Kader Sow (Senegal)
- 14) Minister of State for Legal and Parliamentary Councils,
Dr. Mufid Mahmoud Shihab (Egypt)
- 15) Vice Foreign Minister Fayssal Mekdad (Syria)
- 16) Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs Saif Muqaddam
Al-Buainain (Qatar)
- 17) Deputy Under-Secretary of Foreign Affairs Dr. Tariq
Ahmad Al-Haidan (U.A.E.)
- 18) OIC Secretary General Dr. Ekmeledin Ihsanoglu


3. (U) In his opening remarks, Abdullah called upon the
attendees to "play a more proactive role in the present
conflict." He encouraged the OIC members to "show
preparedness to contribute forces for peacekeeping operations
under the United Nations banner." "We cannot continue
issuing mere statements of condemnation for the violence,"
declared Abdullah. "It is insufficient to express sympathy
for the victims. Let us resolve to come up with a practical
plan of action to stop the war and bring back the peace. We
must help to rebuild Lebanon and Palestine. We must address
the humanitarian situation."


4. (C) Abdullah offered thinly veiled criticism of the
United States and the West and avoided casting any blame on
Hizbollah. He declared that "this war has been labeled as
part of the global war on terror. Reference has been made to
an arc of extremism stretching across the Middle East and
beyond and the need for the Western world to boldly confront
that. Hizbollah has been branded an extremist terrorist
organization. Certain countries have been blamed for
supporting Hizbollah. We also hear some Western leaders
talking about bringing into being a new Middle East. We know
what that means. To me, all these signal a grave situation
which can bring about even graver consequences." He added

that "Israel is being supported by some others in pursuing
their secret design."


5. (U) Also speaking at the opening ceremony, Prime Minister
Begum Zia of Bangladesh took a softer approach and suggested
a UN sponsored conference be held to find ways and means to
enhance the authority of the Lebanese government and
immediate reconstruction of its economy and infrastructure.
Zia declared: "We are not here to incite passion of
retaliation and more bloodletting. On the contrary, we have
assembled here to issue a firm call to the Israeli leadership
to bring an immediate halt to the violence that it has let
loose."


6. (U) Sounding a pessimistic outlook for the future,
Pakistani PM Shaukat Aziz stated that "the failure of the
international community, especially the United Nations and
the world powers to halt this outrage is adding to popular
anger in the region and around the world. . . .This paralysis
is dangerous and can have incalculable consequences for
long-term peace and security in the sensitive Middle East
region and in the world." The OIC's Secretary General,
Ekmeledin Ihsanoglu, echoed a similar refrain: "I am afraid
that the anger of the Muslim masses is being transformed into
permanent hatred against the aggressors and their implicit
and explicit protectors."


7. (U) Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad arrived in
Kuala Lumpur on the morning of August 3. He reportedly
commented that "although the main cure is the elimination of
the Zionist regime, at this stage an immediate ceasefire
should be implemented."


8. (C) Comment: Despite press reports that the Meeting of
Friends would take the form of an OIC Executive Committee
meeting (only seven countries),Abdullah presided over a much
larger gathering, thus including the most strident
anti-Israeli voices including Syria and Iran. Such an
expansion will likely skew any final report (still pending as
of late afternoon August 3) that must express a consensus of
the attendees.
LAFLEUR