Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07USUNNEWYORK1216
2007-12-26 20:03:00
SECRET
USUN New York
Cable title:
PRINCE TURKI RAISES POTUS VISIT AND CONCERN ABOUT
how-toVZCZCXYZ0000 OO RUEHWEB DE RUCNDT #1216 3602003 ZNY SSSSS ZZH O 262003Z DEC 07 FM USMISSION USUN NEW YORK TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3443 INFO RUEHGB/AMEMBASSY BAGHDAD IMMEDIATE 0664 RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL IMMEDIATE 0206 RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD IMMEDIATE 1739 RUEHRH/AMEMBASSY RIYADH IMMEDIATE 0147
S E C R E T USUN NEW YORK 001216
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/26/2017
TAGS: PREL PTER UNSC IZ AF PK SA
SUBJECT: PRINCE TURKI RAISES POTUS VISIT AND CONCERN ABOUT
IRAQI TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY
Classified By: Ambassador Zalmay M. Khalilzad, per 1.4 (b) and (d)
S E C R E T USUN NEW YORK 001216
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/26/2017
TAGS: PREL PTER UNSC IZ AF PK SA
SUBJECT: PRINCE TURKI RAISES POTUS VISIT AND CONCERN ABOUT
IRAQI TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY
Classified By: Ambassador Zalmay M. Khalilzad, per 1.4 (b) and (d)
1. (S) Ambassador Khalilzad met Saudi Prince Turki al-Faisal,
former Saudi Ambassador to the U.S. and current head of the
King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies, on
December 26 in New York. Al-Faisal underscored that
Secretary Rice should accompany President Bush on his
SIPDIS
upcoming visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA),as the
Secretary has developed a good rapport with King Abdallah,
SIPDIS
and she is seen in the region as the public face of increased
U.S. engagement in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. As
for the agenda for the U.S.-Saudi talks, al-Faisal suggested
the two sides could discuss how to re-energize the search for
Osama bin Laden. Noting that Saudi Arabia understands the
area between Afghanistan and Pakistan well, al-Faisal
suggested that the USG and KSA could cooperate in this
effort. He also said the KSA could play a positive role in
encouraging better Afghan-Pakistani relations, but it is
unsure if the U.S. would welcome more active Saudi diplomacy
in this regard.
2. (S) Turning to Iraq, al-Faisal urged that the U.S. find
ways to explicitly guarantee Iraq's territorial integrity in
a UNSC resolution. He argued that such a guarantee would
help assuage Sunni Arab fears about efforts to partition Iraq
and would enable Arab and Muslim countries to increase their
support for Iraq's reconstruction. (Note: UNSCR 1790
includes preambular language that reaffirms Iraq's
territorial integrity. USUN will explore other options to
reinforce this point in future UNSC actions on Iraq. End
Note.) Al-Faisal also spoke at length about the need to
ensure that the Shi'a clerical establishment in Najaf does
not become dominated by Iran. He argued that after Saddam
Hussein exiled or assassinated several clerics from Najaf,
Iranian clerics from Qum had come to Iraq to fill those empty
slots. Although he agreed the U.S. could not play a role in
reversing this phenomenon, al-Faisal said it was important to
ensure that Najaf retains a character separate from Qum.
Khalilzad
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/26/2017
TAGS: PREL PTER UNSC IZ AF PK SA
SUBJECT: PRINCE TURKI RAISES POTUS VISIT AND CONCERN ABOUT
IRAQI TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY
Classified By: Ambassador Zalmay M. Khalilzad, per 1.4 (b) and (d)
1. (S) Ambassador Khalilzad met Saudi Prince Turki al-Faisal,
former Saudi Ambassador to the U.S. and current head of the
King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies, on
December 26 in New York. Al-Faisal underscored that
Secretary Rice should accompany President Bush on his
SIPDIS
upcoming visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA),as the
Secretary has developed a good rapport with King Abdallah,
SIPDIS
and she is seen in the region as the public face of increased
U.S. engagement in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. As
for the agenda for the U.S.-Saudi talks, al-Faisal suggested
the two sides could discuss how to re-energize the search for
Osama bin Laden. Noting that Saudi Arabia understands the
area between Afghanistan and Pakistan well, al-Faisal
suggested that the USG and KSA could cooperate in this
effort. He also said the KSA could play a positive role in
encouraging better Afghan-Pakistani relations, but it is
unsure if the U.S. would welcome more active Saudi diplomacy
in this regard.
2. (S) Turning to Iraq, al-Faisal urged that the U.S. find
ways to explicitly guarantee Iraq's territorial integrity in
a UNSC resolution. He argued that such a guarantee would
help assuage Sunni Arab fears about efforts to partition Iraq
and would enable Arab and Muslim countries to increase their
support for Iraq's reconstruction. (Note: UNSCR 1790
includes preambular language that reaffirms Iraq's
territorial integrity. USUN will explore other options to
reinforce this point in future UNSC actions on Iraq. End
Note.) Al-Faisal also spoke at length about the need to
ensure that the Shi'a clerical establishment in Najaf does
not become dominated by Iran. He argued that after Saddam
Hussein exiled or assassinated several clerics from Najaf,
Iranian clerics from Qum had come to Iraq to fill those empty
slots. Although he agreed the U.S. could not play a role in
reversing this phenomenon, al-Faisal said it was important to
ensure that Najaf retains a character separate from Qum.
Khalilzad