A/S WELCH MARCH 6 MEETING WITH OMANI FM YUSUF BIN

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E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/09/2018
TAGS: PREL KPAL PTER EG IS XF OM
SUBJECT: A/S WELCH MARCH 6 MEETING WITH OMANI FM YUSUF BIN
ALAWI

Classified By: ECPO Minister-Counselor William R. Stewart
for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).

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Summary
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1. (S) Omani Minister Responsible for Foreign Affairs Yusuf
bin Alawi told A/S Welch during their March 6 meeting that
the Israelis and Palestinians must "solve their own
problems." The U.S. is not to blame ) "you have tried your
hardest" ) but Israel has been given chance after chance and
squandered them all. Oman has worked hard and paid a price
over many years of trying to find peace in the Middle East )
all to no avail. The parties themselves must work out their
own solutions. "I've been doing this a lot longer than you
have ) and nothing in all these years has changed." End
summary.

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Halting Hamas
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2. (S) Assistant Secretary Welch briefed FM Yusuf bin Alawi
on the Secretary's recent meetings with the Israelis and
Palestinians. He outlined that the Israelis have two goals
for Gaza: stopping rocket attacks on Israel, and preventing
Hamas from rebuilding itself. The Egyptians are active in
restoring calm. While we do not want to legitimize Hamas,
someone must make clear that their actions harm the
Palestinian people. A/S Welch noted that there are some in
Israel who prefer a more dramatic solution in Gaza. This
view is not shared by Israeli PM Olmert, who made it clear
that if the rocket attacks on Israel stop, there will be no
invasion of Gaza. LTG Fraser will soon convene the first
trilateral security meeting as part of implementing the Road
Map; people must see a difference.

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YBA: "Don't Blame The United States; Blame Israel"
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3. (S) Bin Alawi began his remarks by noting that, "We have
been busy at the Arab League these days, but as always, it
was of no value." Commenting on Israel-Palestine, Bin Alawi
said that no one should blame the U.S. for what is happening
) "you have tried your hardest." Rather, they should blame
Israel, which has been given chance after chance and
squandered them all. No one should underestimate the Arabs,
Bin Alawi said. "We may be very friendly but we are also
very tough." Israel makes excuses for the actions it takes,
but the Arab street sees through this. Israeli PM Olmert is
"worried about his position, but not about peace." Simply
saying no rockets, no attack, "completely misses the point,"
which is: when will Israel end its occupation of Palestine?



4. (S) Oman has made a "big investment" in peace over the
years, Bin Alawi continued. We have pushed for peace, but so
far "there has been no response. There is no peace, only
war." There are limits to what we as a government can do.
Eventually we will lose control of the street. Israel needs
a "shock" to wake up. For the first time, the Arab League
has debated taking back the Arab Peace Initiative. In
response to A/S Welch's query as to what exactly that meant,
Bin Alawi said, "It means that we must tell our people there
is no peace with Israel." The final decision on whether or
not to do so, he said, has been reserved for the upcoming
Arab League summit in Damascus.

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Israeli Withdrawal: The Only Way Forward
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5. (S) The only way forward, Bin Alawi said, is for Israel to
set a timetable for withdrawal from the occupied territories.
"That would change the entire situation." But until now, Bin
Alawi noted, there is no withdrawal and no stopping the
Israeli settlements. President Bush did not just promise
Arab governments there would be two-states by the end of his
term, he promised the Arab people. "Israel has said no (to
President Bush) publicly. Olmert himself said there won't be
two states." A/S Welch corrected Bin Alawi -- Olmert
actually said it would be difficult, but not impossible. Bin
Alawi replied: "If Olmert were really Bush's friend, he
would not say such things in public."


6. (S) A/S Welch asked Bin Alawi what option he proposed.
"Let the situation correct itself," Bin Alawi said. If
Israel wants to stay there, let it stay there. If they want

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to build settlements, let them -- they have power; they can
do what they want. The time for liberation -- or withdrawal
-- will come when it comes. Fighting Hamas, Bin Alawi
opined, only gives it legitimacy and strengthens the
fundamentalists. Israel is defending itself at the cost of
peace. But why not give the Palestinians the same right of
self-defense? A/S Welch stressed that many Palestinians do
not agree that shooting rockets at Israel is the best form of
self-defense. How else shall they protect themselves, Bin
Alawi asked. The Palestinians sought protection from
the international community and got nothing. A/S Welch
pushed back that Gaza is not under attack; Israel is. But
Gaza is under siege, Bin Alawi responded.

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Nothing Ever Changes In The Middle East
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7. (S) The objective for everyone, according to Bin Alawi,
should be peace. But the only chance for peace is for Israel
to commit "tomorrow" to a timetable for withdrawal, and then
implement it. "If they do this, not only Israel will be
against Hamas, but all the Arabs, too." But since such a
promise is highly unlikely, Bin Alawi mused, "what will
happen?" Bin Alawi apologized for being so blunt, "but we
are friends, and we must tell our friends what we see as
facts." A/S Welch said that it appeared we did not agree on
what those facts were: "You seem to be putting all the blame
on one party." That is because only one party is an
occupier, Bin Alawi retorted, "over people with no power."
A/S Welch stressed that the United States believes that
Israel is committed to changing that; Bin Alawi said, "We'll
see." The trouble is, he suggested, that "nothing ever
changes in the Middle East." When decade after decade passes
with no improvement, it gives rise to extremism. "That's
what brought Hamas."

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Palestine and Lebanon Linked
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8. (S) Turning to Lebanon, A/S Welch complained that the
Arabs have given a free hand to Syria and Iran. He asked if
there were an Arab League consensus on the way forward.
There is no consensus, Bin Alawi asserted, and there will not
be a consensus until the Palestinian problem is solved. A/S
Welch questioned the linkage of the two issues. The
non-consensus you see on Lebanon, Bin Alawi explained, will
spread and increase because Arab governments have handed the
issue to the people. "You want democracy? This is
democracy." People express their views. When you insisted
the Palestinians hold elections, they voted for Hamas, which
you did not like.


9. (S) As for Lebanon, Bin Alawi went on, there are 300,000
to 400,000 Palestinians refugees living there. "You don't
think they have an impact on what happens in Lebanon?" The
fact is that Syria now controls much of what happens in
Lebanon, not the Lebanese people, A/S Welch said. Bin Alawi
disagreed; "the problem is the Lebanese are divided among
themselves." That is why there has not been a presidential
election yet. The president in Lebanon is elected by the
parliament, not the people, and the members of parliament
disagree. But the Lebanese need a president "in the chair."
He is the custodian of the constitution, and without a
president, Bin Alawi averred, "every Lebanese becomes a
president." No one wants this to continue. Our job and your
job, Bin Alawi stressed, is to encourage the Lebanese people
and political leaders to elect a president.

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Syria, Lebanon's "Neighbor and Brother"
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10. (S) A/S Welch said that Syria stands in the way of
electing a president. Leave Syria alone, Bin Alawi advised;
the AL has decided to send SYG Amre Moussa to go again to
Beirut and try to "make a deal." As for the Syrians, "they
are Lebanon's brothers and neighbors; let them work out their
differences together." A/S Welch pushed back: the Syrians
are the reason Lebanon has not been able to elect a
president. They see the consensus candidate as a threat to
them, which is nonsense. However, A/S Welch continued, it is
not nonsense to say Syria is a very real threat to Lebanon.
"Why should we worry if they go to war -- or peace?" Bin
Alawi responded. "Let them."

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Kosovo
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11. (C) A/S Welch asked what Oman's position on Kosovo was.
"That's a European issue," Bin Alawi answered. "Leave it
there."


12. (U) A/S Welch did not have an opportunity to clear this
message.
RICCIARDONE