MALAYSIA SEES PAKISTAN INITIATIVE AS CONTINUATION

C O N F I D E N T I A L KUALA LUMPUR 000381 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/28/2017 TAGS: PREL KISL PK MY SUBJECT: MALAYSIA SEES PAKISTAN INITIATIVE AS CONTINUATION OF ARAB PEACE PROPOSALS REF: ISLAMABAD 895 Classified By: Political Section Chief Mark D. Clark, reasons 1.4 (b an d d). ¶1. (C) Malaysia views the Pakistan-led Middle East peace initiative as largely a continuation of earlier Arab peace proposals, the Foreign Ministry's Under Secretary for Multilateral Political Affairs Shahrul Ikram told polchief February 28. Shahrul, who had just returned from the Islamabad meeting (reftel),said the three to four-hour discussion had remained very general. Contrary to some reporting, in terms of seeking a Middle East solution, "there was nothing new beyond the 2002 Arab peace proposals." Any emerging ideas would "complement," not replace, earlier Arab initiatives. The meeting also addressed in broad terms the situation in Iraq and Lebanon, as well as the Iran nuclear issue. The foreign ministers did not agree on a date for the intended summit in Mecca. ¶2. (C) We asked for Shahrul's views on the significance of Malaysia and Indonesia's involvement, along with other non-Arab states. Shahrul said this represented a realization that the problems in the Middle East were not Arab problems, but concerns for the Islamic world as a whole. The participation by Malaysia and Indonesia also could help address the image problem facing Islam, and Malaysia in particular could develop ideas for correcting misunderstandings of the faith. (Comment: This is a role Prime Minister and OIC Chairman Abdullah Badawi consistently seeks to play on the world stage, holding up Malaysia's successful economic development and political stability as a model for Muslim-majority countries. End Comment). LAFLEUR