OIC SUMMIT ON GAZA: REBUKES ISRAEL, CALLS FOR AID

S E C R E T JEDDAH 000070 SIPDIS SIPDIS RIYADH PLEASE PASS TO DAHRAN, DEPARTMENT FOR NEA/ARP E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/05/2028 TAGS: PREL KISL PHUM SA SUBJECT: OIC SUMMIT ON GAZA: REBUKES ISRAEL, CALLS FOR AID Classified By: Classified by Tatiana C. Gfoeller for Reasons 1.4 (b) an d (d) ¶1. (S) SUMMARY: The OIC hosted an expanded meeting of its Executive Committee in Jeddah to discuss the situation in Gaza. Attendees included Foreign Ministers and other representatives from approximately 40 member states. The main outcome included a Final Communique reiterating previous OIC remarks condemning Israel and urging the international community to pressure it to lift the "embargo." To streamline OIC member state donations for humanitarian relief to Gaza, the OIC opened an account at its headquarters in Jeddah. However, OIC Secretary General Ekmelledin Ihsanoglu later admitted that the "Israeli lockdown" would complicate this initiative. On the OIC in general and the Summit in particular, some Jeddah-based Arab Consuls expressed a lack of faith in the OIC's ability to bring about any substantive change. END SUMMARY. OIC: END ISRAELI "AGGRESSION;" WELCOMES US EFFORTS FOR PALESTINIAN STATE ¶2. (U) The Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) hosted an expanded meeting of its Executive Committee on February 3 in Jeddah to discuss the recent deteriorating situation in Gaza. Attendees included Foreign Ministers and other representatives from approximately 40 member states. The OIC's Final Communique reiterated previous public OIC remarks on events in Gaza. On January 22, OIC Secretary General Ihsanoglu had urged "the international community, the Quartet (United Nations, European Union, Russia, and the United States),and the (UN) Human Rights Council... to act rapidly to put an end to the Israeli aggression and lift the blockade imposed on Gaza." Most recently Ihsanoglu stated that he was very "disappointed" with the UN's failure to address the humanitarian situation. On President Bush's commitment to the creation of a Palestinian state by the end of 2008, he said during a press conference following the Summit: "The facts on the ground speak otherwise. We welcome Bush's commitment on the creation of a Palestinian state. It is by far the most serious American commitment. We hope Israel will stick...to the pledge it made at Annapolis. Unfortunately, Israel has never stood by any agreement in the past." OIC OFFICIAL DEEMS MEETING "STANDARD" ¶3. (S) OIC Political Department Director General Mahdy Fathallah told PolOff on February 2 that organizing such an Executive Committee meeting was a "standard" reaction to such a dire crisis. Foreign Ministers present included: Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit, Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad Malki, Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan, and Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki. From the SAG, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Nizar Obaid Madani attended. (NOTE: There have only been three other Executive Committee meetings. The Committee comprises member states of two troikas: the past, present, and future Presidents of the Islamic Summit (Qatar, Malaysia, Senegal) and of the Ministerial Summit (Azerbaijan, Pakistan, Uganda). END NOTE.) ARAB COMMENT: OIC EFFORTS FUTILE ¶4. (S) After the OIC Summit, a few Arab Consuls provided their analysis to PolOff. They shared their opinion that the Summit was nothing more than a gathering to facilitate discussion. Iraqi Consul Shaker M. Mishhadani stated that the OIC did "nothing" and that the Final Communique would not help to alleviate the humanitarian situation in Gaza. He added that the OIC was not "political," but "economic." He was also keen to highlight that it was the Iranian government that requested the Summit. On the specific OIC effort to organize member state donations to provide assistance to Palestinians, Egyptian Consul Mohamed Amin mentioned that there would be donations from the "petrol countries" but then expressed concern over the Palestinians' alleged use of counterfeit currency to purchase goods and services in the Sinai. GFOELLER