ARAB LEAGUE OFFICIAL ON NPT PREPCOM, PLANS FOR

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 CAIRO 000999

SIPDIS

ISN/RA FOR DANIEL, STUKALIN
ISN/MNSA FOR DAVIS
UNVIE FOR PAPPAS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/15/2018
TAGS: PARM PREL KNPP IS EG
SUBJECT: ARAB LEAGUE OFFICIAL ON NPT PREPCOM, PLANS FOR
IAEA GC ISRAEL RESOLUTION

REF: A. CAIRO 863

B. UNVIE 232

Classified By: ECPO Mincouns William R. Stewart for reason 1.4 (b).


1. (C) Summary: On May 15, Arab League Disarmament Department
Director Wael Al-Assad told us that the NPT Geneva PrepCom
that ended May 9 did not make any progress on steps toward
implementing the 1995 NPT Review Conference Middle East
Resolution. He said that the Arab League would like to see
progress by the end of the 2010 NPT Review Conference, or it
would consider taking retaliatory steps. Al-Assad said the
Arab League rejects any linkage between establishing a Middle
East Nuclear Weapons Free Zone (NWFZ) and the end of the
Arab-Israeli conflict. We responded that the U.S. believes a
NWFZ is achievable within the context of a comprehensive
peace. Al-Assad said that the Arab League is determined to
introduce a resolution on Israel at the fall 2008 IAEA
General Conference, and has deleted the term "threat" from
the resolution. He said the Arab League would not back down
from this resolution even if it meant breaking consensus
again. We responded that the U.S. would continue to oppose
singling out Israel. End summary.

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NPT PrepCom: No Movement on the Middle East
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2. (C) Al-Assad described the April 21-May 9 NPT Geneva
PrepCom as a repeat of the 2007 PrepCom with a "nicer" tone.
He said that from the Arab League's perspective, there were
no "upheavals," but no movement forward on implementing the
1995 NPT Review Conference Middle East Resolution. He said
Egypt and the Arab League had prepared separate working
papers specifying various steps toward implementing the 1995
resolution, but that there was no substantive response from
western countries. We said the U.S. viewed the PrepCom as an
opportunity for countries to air their views. Al-Assad said
the Arab League wants to see agreement by the end of the 2010
NPT Review Conference on at least one serious step toward
implementing the Middle East Resolution. He said that if no
steps toward implementation were agreed at the 2010
Conference, the Arab League would consider taking various
retaliatory responses, such as ceasing to sign any
disarmament agreements or dropping its support for a NWFZ.


3. (C) Al-Assad said the Arab League rejects linkage between
the establishment of a NWFZ and the end of the Arab-Israeli
conflict because twenty-one Arab states signed the NPT in the
midst of the conflict. He added that a NWFZ would be a
confidence-building measure for peace between the Arab states
and Israel. We responded that the U.S. believes a NWFZ is
achievable within the context of a comprehensive peace.


4. (C) Al-Assad said that the U.S. did not present evidence
at the PrepCom on Syria's nuclear reactor to accompany U.S.
statements criticizing Syria. He said that "everyone"
believes there is no evidence of a Syrian nuclear facility.
We responded that the U.S. presented compelling evidence to
governments on a bilateral basis.

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Arab League Persistence on IAEA GC Israel Resolution
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5. (C) Regarding the Arab League's draft resolution on Israel
for the fall 2008 IAEA General Conference in Vienna (ref B),
Al-Assad said that Arab League Headquarters had passed the
draft to its mission in Vienna, and that the Vienna Mission
would soon circulate the draft widely. He said that the word
"threat" has been deleted from the resolution's title and its
text, and reiterated that the draft calls on Israel to join
the NPT without expressing any condemnation (ref A). We
responded that the U.S. would continue to oppose singling out
Israel, and putting it on par with the DPRK as the only two
subjects of country-specific resolutions.


6. (C) Al-Assad replied that Israel had "singled itself out"
in the Middle East by not joining the NPT. He said that the
Arab League has tried to be accommodating to U.S. concerns by
deleting the term "threat," and the AL would not back down
from a separate resolution on Israel even if that meant
breaking consensus again. Al-Assad said he plans to visit
Vienna over the summer and would be pleased to meet again
with Ambassador Schulte. He said that Arab League SYG Moussa

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is prepared to travel to Vienna if he would be able to make
progress through a visit.
SCOBEY