ARAB LEAGUE TOYING WITH IDEA OF A JOINT ARAB FORCE

C O N F I D E N T I A L CAIRO 002460 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR NEA/ELA, AF/E E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/02/2018 TAGS: PREL EWWT AL EG SUBJECT: ARAB LEAGUE TOYING WITH IDEA OF A JOINT ARAB FORCE Classified By: Minister Counselor for Economic and Political Affairs William R. Stewart for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) Zeid al-Sabban, Advisor to the Arab League (AL) SYG, told us on December 1 that the AL is thinking about creating a ""joint Arab force,"" which could be deployed in places of conflict similar to United Nations and African Union forces. He said that this idea arose after the December 20 conference on piracy hosted by the Egyptian MFA. Al Sabban said the only concrete idea proposed at the conference was the AL suggestion for an Arab maritime force to counter piracy in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. He contended that an Arab force is appropriate because the Arab countries of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen are the most affected by the piracy issue. Al Sabban added that such an AL maritime force would work in cooperation with the NATO, EU, Russian and Indian navies already deployed to the region. ¶2. (C) In an effort to address the historical concerns surrounding a joint Arab force, Al Sabban said that this idea was not a ""revision of 1948."" He said the force would be set up to cooperate with other multi-lateral forces such as NATO and the EU. Al Sabban added that today there are ""many"" Arab countries that are ""in effect"" at peace with Israel, and he dispelled the notion that a joint Arab force would have any role to play in the issue of Palestine. ¶3. (C) Comment: This is the first that we have heard about a joint Arab force. The AL is probably toying with the idea, but our conversations with the Government of Egypt, and the Arab League's lack of experience in this realm, lead us to believe that it would be difficult to garner support for such a pan-Arab force. SCOBEY