Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07CAIRO865
2007-03-26 14:48:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Cairo
Cable title:  

A/S WELCH'S MARCH 20 MEETING WITH ARAB LEAGUE

Tags:  PREL ARABL KPAL MEPN IZ GZ LE EG 
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VZCZCXRO5576
PP RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHKUK RUEHROV
DE RUEHEG #0865/01 0851448
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 261448Z MAR 07
FM AMEMBASSY CAIRO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 4254
INFO RUEHEE/ARAB LEAGUE COLLECTIVE
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 CAIRO 000865 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/25/2017
TAGS: PREL ARABL KPAL MEPN IZ GZ LE EG
SUBJECT: A/S WELCH'S MARCH 20 MEETING WITH ARAB LEAGUE
SECRETARY GENERAL AMRE MOUSSA

SIPDIS

CLASSIFIED BY DCM STUART JONES FOR REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D).

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Summary
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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 CAIRO 000865

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/25/2017
TAGS: PREL ARABL KPAL MEPN IZ GZ LE EG
SUBJECT: A/S WELCH'S MARCH 20 MEETING WITH ARAB LEAGUE
SECRETARY GENERAL AMRE MOUSSA

SIPDIS

CLASSIFIED BY DCM STUART JONES FOR REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D).

--------------
Summary
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1. (C) In a March 20 meeting with NEA Assistant Secretary
Welch, Arab League Secretary General Amre Moussa discussed
the upcoming Arab summit and Arab-Israeli peace issues.
Welch pressed Moussa for ideas on how to help Israel and the
Palestinians get back to the negotiating table. Welch urged
Moussa to take advantage of the opportunity afforded by the
Arab Summit to show leadership and, specifically, to improve
upon the 2002 Beirut Arab Peace Initiative (API). While
interested in improving both the content and "marketing" of
the initiative, Moussa believed such steps unlikely absent
meaningful Israeli moves to improve the atmosphere. Moussa
suggested that an emergency AL session was being considered
should present U.S. efforts to resuscitate the peace process
fall short. On Iraq, Moussa emphasized the positive nature
of the League's latest ministerial resolution on the topic,
and cautioned the U.S. not to focus too heavily on security
at the expense the political process. On Lebanon, Moussa
committed to continued mediation efforts to end the current
crisis, but warned that the situation was becoming more
difficult and that time was running out to find acceptable
compromises to the present impasse. End summary.


2. (U) A/S Welch was joined in the meeting by the
Ambassador, Deputy Legal Advisor Jonathan Schwartz, NEA
Senior Advisor Gamal Helal, and Embassy poloff (note-taker).
Moussa was joined by AL Chief of Staff Hisham Youssef,
Cabinet staff member Talal Elamine, and Spokesman Alaa Rushdy.

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Israel/Palestine
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3. (C) A/S Welch began by describing the near-term political
calendar on Arab-Israeli peace issues, including several of
his own visits to the region, and those of the Secretary to
meet with Arab Quartet members and later with the
International Quartet. This high degree of focus and
engagement reflected President Bush's and the Secretary's
deep commitment to resolving the region's conflicts. Welch

asked Moussa to describe what the League hoped to accomplish
during its March 28-29 summit in Riyadh, urging a more
forward-leaning stance on the League's 2002 Beirut Arab Peace
Initiative (API).


4. (C) Moussa touted the API as a fair starting point, and
complained that Washington was pressing the Arabs to be more
conciliatory, but was not pressing the Israelis. Meanwhile,
Israel continued to send more and more "negative" messages
such as its continued settlement expansions and separation
barrier construction, its excavations at the Temple
Mount/al-Aqsa Mosque, and its rejection of contacts with the
new Palestinian national unity government (NUG). Moussa
asserted that a proactive Arab approach on the API was
impossible without a "serious" and "fair" counter offer from
the Israeli side (i.e., "a door for a door"). When the
Israelis are ready, he said, the U.S. must serve as broker in
the process. Moussa emphasized the importance of getting the
sides back to the negotiating table and said he could accept
meetings of an expanded Quartet "i.e., Quartet-plus" in lieu
of an "international conference." Moussa noted that if the
current round of U.S.-led multilateral diplomacy came up
short, the League was already considering holding an
emergency summit or ministerial session to address the
Palestinian issue.


5. (C) Returning to the Arab peace initiative, Welch pressed
Moussa hard to explain why the Arabs had been completely
silent in public about their own initiative. He also sought
an explanation why the Arabs had not yet sat down with the
Israelis and directly addressed their questions on the
initiative directly with them. Moussa replied that such
interaction meant implicit recognition and normalization with
Israel, despite failure by Israel to take positive steps in
the direction of the Arabs' collective and "fair" position.
"We won't sit together with them to socialize: if they have
something to offer, we'll sit with them." The USG needed to
assume the role of broker to get the peace process back on
track. Welch and delegation also discussed the precise
wording and political significance of PM Haniyeh's March 16
speech to announce the NUG's creation. Moussa's analysis was
that the speech was a "major step" in the right direction by
Haniyeh and Hamas, and something that should be welcomed and
built upon.

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Iraq

CAIRO 00000865 002 OF 002


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6. (C) Moussa agreed with A/S Welch that "now is the time to
achieve something concrete" in Iraq, saying Arab and U.S.
interests are now aligned. He emphasized a March 3 AL
Council of Ministers Iraq resolution as a "unanimous"
agreement to support present plans to restore stability to
the country and help the U.S. ("and us") to get out of the
present mess there. A focus on security issues alone is
insufficient, he argued. There must also be a focus on
political issues. And, "we must hold the Maliki government
accountable" for progress on the political front. While the
situation in Iraq is a catastrophe, he said, "we are well
disposed to cooperate" to help improve the situation there.


7. (C) Welch shared the USG impression that the March 10
Baghdad meeting of Iraq's neighbors went well and was
conducted in a professional manner by the Iraqis. While it
became clear at the meeting that the Syrians wanted to talk
more with the U.S., the Iranians were afraid. The U.S.
position on the regional meetings is flexible, and designed
to support the Iraqi government.

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Lebanon
--------------


8. (C) Moussa said that the political situation in Lebanon
was becoming "more difficult." Recent talks between Nabih
Berri and Saad Hariri appeared to have "not produced much."
Lebanon, he said, would be discussed on the margins of the
Arab summit, or behind closed doors, but no breakthroughs
were expected. New issues, he said - "even more difficult to
resolve than the tribunal or government formation" - will
"creep up" and make the situation even worse. Moussa cited
the upcoming selection of a replacement for President Lahoud
as an example. We are trying to help, he asserted, though
time is running out.


9. (C) Welch described U.S. thinking on Lebanon, emphasizing
the importance of preventing Syria from gutting the
international tribunal and further undermining Lebanese
sovereignty. Washington will also support whatever
resolution the Lebanese themselves agreed to on formation of
a new Cabinet, consistent with Lebanese democracy.


10. (U) This cable has been cleared by A/S Welch.
RICCIARDONE