EMBASSY CONTACT ASSERTS OMAN DETERMINED TO IMPROVE

C O N F I D E N T I A L MUSCAT 000634 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR NEA/ARP, NEA/RA,DRL AND G/TIP E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/01/2018 TAGS: PHUM KCRM KWMN SMIG ELAB MU SUBJECT: EMBASSY CONTACT ASSERTS OMAN DETERMINED TO IMPROVE TIP TIER RANKING Classified By: DCM Victor Hurtado for Reasons 1.4 (b,d) ¶1. (C) Sultan Qaboos has made it clear that he intends to strengthen Oman's efforts to combat trafficking in persons (TIP) over the next year in order to improve Oman's tier ranking on the USG TIP report, according to Ahmad al-Mukhaini, Assistant Secretary General for the Majlis al-Shura Secretariat. In an August 26 meeting with poloff, Mukhaini explained that although the Sultan was very upset about the report, Qaboos was more concerned about the international image of his country. Mukhaini added that the Sultan has plans to establish a Human Rights Committee in the next few months. Mukhaini also claimed that he had learned that there is currently a small shelter for victims of TIP, although, its existence and location are secret, in order to protect the victims. He said that the GOO plans to create a larger and more easily accessible shelter. ¶2. (C) Comment: Mukhaini chose not to divulge the source of his information, but he is well-connected and normally a trustworthy source. End Comment. GRAPPO