GAZA ACCOUNT DEMARCHE RESPONSE: OIC WILL

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 JEDDAH 000074

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

RIYADH PLEASE PASS TO DHAHRAN; DEPARTMENT FOR HERRO
MUSTAFFA IN P AND ANDREW STEINFELD IN NEA/ARP

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/09/2028
TAGS: PREL PHUM KISL KPAL WBG SA
SUBJECT: GAZA ACCOUNT DEMARCHE RESPONSE: OIC WILL
COORDINATE WITH FAYYAD GOVERNMENT

REF: A. JEDDAH 70 B. SECSTATE 012185

Classified By: Consul General Tatiana C. Gfoeller for Reasons 1.4(b) an
d (d).


1. (S) SUMMARY: Consul General Tatiana C. Gfoeller delivered
demarche (reftel B) in person on February 9 to Organization
of the Islamic Conference (OIC) Director General for
Political Affairs Mahdy Fathallah and OIC Director for
Political Affairs Tariq Ali Bakheet. OIC officials assured
Consul General Gfoeller that the OIC would coordinate its
efforts to streamline member states' donations for
humanitarian relief to Gaza with the Fayyad government. In
addition, Fathallah and Bakheet highlighted the February 3
OIC Executive Committee Final Communique on developments in
Gaza (septel),inquired about the U.S. appointment of an OIC
envoy, and lobbied for the U.S. to consider the OIC "a
heavy-weight vote" in the international community. END
SUMMARY.

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OIC ACCOUNT FOR GAZA
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2. (S) Regarding the OIC account for Gaza, OIC Director
General for Political Affairs Mahdy Fathallah reassured
Consul General Tatiana C. Gfoeller that the OIC had and would
continue to work with the Fayyad government. He stated that
the OIC and the USG see eye to eye on this issue and welcomed
her demarche as part of a crucial ongoing dialogue between
the USG and the OIC.


3. (S) Fathallah emphasized that the OIC was a "political"
and "intergovernmental" organization, and as such, only
worked with "legitimate" governments. While the OIC has
contact with "the opposition" in member states, he added,
they only do so with the permission of the legitimate
government. He explained that the OIC interacts with the
opposition "to collect a correct picture of what is going
on." Consul General Gfoeller conveyed U.S. concern for the
humanitarian situation in Gaza and highlighted U.S. efforts
to assist Gazans over the past year.

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FINAL COMMUNIQUE
--------------


4. (S) On OIC action to address developments in Gaza,
Fathallah provided a copy of the Final Communique (septel)
from a February 3 OIC Executive Committee meeting (reftel A).
He argued that the Committee avoided "strong language of
condemnation" while appealing to the international community
to solve the crisis in Gaza. He added that the Final
Communique demonstrates how the OIC chooses to deal with
"volatile" situations in a moderate and responsible fashion.

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U.S. ENVOY TO OIC
--------------


5. (S) Switching to the topic of a U.S. envoy to the OIC,
Fathallah inquired when the U.S. would appoint someone.
(NOTE: President Bush announced on June 27, 2007 U.S. plans
to appoint an envoy. END NOTE.) He stated a preference for
one who understood the "Islamic perspective" and mentioned
that most countries name their Ambassador in Saudi Arabia
concurrently as envoy to the OIC. This would work well in
the U.S. case as well, he thought; the main thing was to
appoint someone with knowledge of the Middle East and to do
so soon. He added that if the envoy did not understand fully
the Islamic perspective, then such a position would not
fulfill its purpose of fostering mutual understanding between
the OIC and the U.S.

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"A HEAVY-WEIGHT VOTE"
--------------


6. (S) Urging the U.S. to consider the OIC "a heavy-weight
vote" in the international community, Fathallah stressed that
the OIC had a lot to offer the United States. He argued that
the number of member states -- 57 -- as well as their wide,
geographic distribution, created a powerful bloc that the OIC
could mobilize to lobby for its causes. Also, pockets of
Muslims throughout the world even in countries with
non-Muslim majorities could be "mobilized" at the OIC's
bidding. Finally, he argued that the OIC had "real leverage"
and could provide the U.S. with a "deep read-out" of events

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in member states such as Iraq and Somalia.
GFOELLER