GUATEMALAN CANDIDACY FOR UNSC SEAT: OMAN

C O N F I D E N T I A L MUSCAT 001267 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/28/2016 TAGS: PREL UNSC MU SUBJECT: GUATEMALAN CANDIDACY FOR UNSC SEAT: OMAN REF: A. MUSCAT 01259 ¶B. MUSCAT 01000 Classified By: Ambassador Gary A. Grappo. Reason: 1.4 (b,d). ¶1. (C) In a meeting August 27 with Omani Foreign Ministry Under Secretary Sayyid Badr al-Busaidi, the Ambassador noted the recent visit of a Venezuelan envoy to Muscat (ref A) and asked about Oman's position on the contested election for a UN Security Council Seat between Venezuela and Guatemala. Al-Busaidi confirmed that representatives from both Venezuela and Guatemala had visited Oman to lobby for their respective candidacies, and stated that Oman had not yet decided how it would vote. ¶2. (C) The Ambassador reminded al-Busaidi that Minister Responsible for Foreign Affairs Yusuf bin Alawi had said it was highly unlikely that Oman would vote for Venezuela (ref B). The Ambassador also stressed the importance to the U.S. of Guatemala's successful candidacy for the UNSC seat, and offered to provide additional information upon request to support Guatemala's bid. Al-Busaidi replied that a "majority" of Arab governments might look at the election through the prism of the Arab-Israeli conflict, which would make Venezuela a more attractive candidate. He nevertheless promised to strongly consider our request to vote for Guatemala. ¶3. (C) The Ambassador will follow-up again on this issue with Minister Responsible for Foreign Affairs bin Alawi when the Minister returns to Muscat from vacation. GRAPPO