READOUT: AMR MOUSSA'S 6 NOVEMBER DISCUSSION WITH

C O N F I D E N T I A L USNATO 000419 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/10/2018 TAGS: NATO PARM PREL AL XI XF SUBJECT: READOUT: AMR MOUSSA'S 6 NOVEMBER DISCUSSION WITH NORTH ATLANTIC COUNCIL Classified By: Classified By: Deputy Chief of Mission Walter Reid for r easons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: On November 6, Mr. Amr Moussa, Secretary General of the League of Arab States, held a broad exchange of views with the North Atlantic Council at NATO HQ. Striking a conciliatory tone early on as he read from his prepared text, Moussa lauded the election of President-elect Obama, stated that NATO and the Arab League must forge a collaborative relationship, and exclaimed that peace in the Middle East is achievable. His positive assessment of these varied issues took many in the Council by surprise. However, Moussa reverted to form when responding to PermRep's questions by blasting U.S. policies in the region, and calling for the complete rejection of the Roadmap for peace, which he said needs to be "relaunched and not continued by the next administration." END SUMMARY. -------------- NATO and the Arab League -------------- ¶2. (C) An initially upbeat Moussa proclaimed the Arab League ready to cooperate with NATO - "This is a new NATO," he said - to launch an "era of understanding and cooperation in order to bring stability and peace to the Middle East." NATO and the Arab League are reintroducing themselves and need to chart a plan for their collaborative Middle East agenda. The relationship between the two bodies will require continued dialogue and exchange of ideas, stated Moussa, and no one knows exactly what form the new relationship will take, though he cited the recently signed cooperation agreement between NATO and the UN. COMMENT: USNATO contacts at both the Kuwaiti Embassy and Italian Mission hypothesized that Moussa was encouraged by Egypt to engage with NATO and that he wasn't necessarily speaking on behalf of Arab League members. If true, this would be a significant step by Egypt to further its relationship with the Alliance, and could explain the sharp contrast between the positive content of Moussa's prepared text and the caustic tone of the question and answer session. When the Egyptian Ambassador later heard about Ambassador Volker's displeasure at Moussa's remarks in the Q&A, he called Ambassador Volker to stress that in those comments, Moussa was not speaking for Egypt. END COMMENT. ¶3. (C) Many PermReps highlighted the growing influence and maturity of NATO's Mediterranean Dialogue Partnership, as well as the Istanbul Cooperation Initiative Partnership, noting that 10 of these Partners are members of the Arab League, (Israel being the sole exception). These fora represent the "new NATO," said the Spanish PermRep, who encouraged Moussa to look at the partnerships as constructive allies for the Arab League. The Spaniard also speculated that the Union for the Mediterranean is another potential ally for both the Arab League and NATO, and that Europe and the Muslim world are both beneficiaries of a greater cooperation between these organizations. ¶4. (C) The NATO SYG, as well as many PermReps, invited Moussa to comment on the image of NATO in the Arab world, and what can be done to dispel the negative perceptions of the Alliance. Moussa began by saying that NATO and the U.S. are perceived as promoting the same foreign policies in the region. Although the U.S. is considered a source of inspiration by many Arabs, U.S. policies are viewed in a negative light, he said. These negative perceptions and feelings are also cast on NATO since it is seen as an extension of the U.S. military. To help dispel these aspersions, Moussa suggested that NATO collaborate with governments and organizations in the region, like the Arab League, to achieve tangible results such as increased security and enhanced stability in the region. These efforts must be widely publicized and closely coordinated with Arab academics and think tanks, he stated. -------------- U.S. Elections - Start of the 21st Century -------------- ¶5. (C) The campaign of President-elect Obama was filled with hope and new ideas that inspired Arabs throughout the region, Moussa observed. He rhetorically asked: "Can we work together to bring out about political change? Yes, we can." He left no doubt that he views the U.S. election as a watershed event for the Middle East, and perhaps the world, as he referred to the elections in the U.S. and stated, "The 21st Century started yesterday." -------------- Middle East Peace Process -------------- ¶6. (C) As Moussa reverted to form, he declared U.S. policies in the region to be one-sided and based upon a "clash of civilizations" that pitted the Western world against the Muslim world, the net result being chaos. He repeatedly claimed that these policies place a priority on form over substance and making promises that are not kept, sowing deep frustration and hatred in the region. Moussa stated that extremists from both sides, conservatives in the U.S. and terrorists in the Middle East, have led the peace process down a dead-end road, which is why the process needs to be relaunched and not continued by the new administration. ¶7. (C) Peace, he said, requires reconciliation and to achieve it, there will be a price to pay for both sides, "but pay we must." "We need a viable Palestinian State and Israel needs one too," he said. Moussa called for an "alliance of civilizations" that can bring about peace in the region and guarantee a better future for all of us, "Arab, European, American, Muslim, Christian, and Jew." Presenting an alternative to the Roadmap, he pointed to the Arab Peace Initiative, (Beirut in 2002 and Riyadh in 2007),saying that the basic issue in the Palestinian/Israeli dispute is the return of occupied territories to the Palestinians. Israel must stop building settlements, he demanded, and creating conditions on the ground that prevent the establishment of a viable Palestinian state; a state that "must have more than just a flag and a passport office." ¶8. (C) Ambassador Volker stressed that a key legacy of the Bush Administration was solidified support within the U.S. for a two state solution, based on a democratic Palestinian state. He stressed that the Administration efforts were not finished as evidenced by Secretary Rice's meetings in the region this week, to include the Quad in Egypt on Sunday. Volker led a group of Allies, (Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese),that not only strongly stated their support for the Roadmap, but also welcomed direct discussion among Middle East Foreign Ministers during the upcoming December Ministerial at NATO HQ. Ambassador Volker emphasized the two-state solution as the only way to make progress on the Palestinian/Israeli conflict, and stressed that the next administration would work just as hard as the current one to resolve the conflict. -------------- Iraq -------------- ¶9. (C) Ambassador Volker pressed Moussa for his ideas on, and support for expanding the diplomatic presence of Arab League members in Iraq. Moussa replied that he does not oppose the opening of Arab Embassies in Iraq, and the Arab League itself was considering such a proposal, but it will take time. He countered that what was truly needed in Iraq was reconciliation between the Shia, Sunni, and Kurds. "Iraq is an Arab country with a Kurdish population," he said, and the Arab League was the only organization that had brought all of the groups together to further the reconciliation process. He noted that in November 2005, the Arab League sponsored a meeting where all religious groups and political parties signed a reconciliation agreement, and if the international community had only rallied behind the agreement, it would have prevented years of fighting and saved thousands of lives. -------------- Kosovo -------------- ¶10. (C) In response to a query from Ambassador Volker, Moussa saluted NATO's role in the Balkans but said that recognition of Kosovo independence was a decision that each Arab country had to make on its own, and that such a decision was " of course, affected by other events." Currently, Arab countries have decided to "go slow" and have not decided if they should take collective action. -------------- Somalia and Piracy -------------- ¶11. (C) A number of PermReps brought up the issue of Somalia and SYG de Hoop Scheffer highlighted the request from the UN for NATO assistance in protecting World Food Program ships. Moussa, after saying the Somalis themselves bear some of the responsibility, claimed that the failed policies of regional and international players were mostly to blame for the crisis. Somalia is not a home for terrorists, but rather an African/Arab/Muslim country, "a reality that cannot be changed by force." The Arab League is continuing to work with the Africa Union and the UN to find a resolution to the anarchy in Somalia, Moussa noted. -------------- - Engaging Russia and a Nuclear Free Middle East -------------- - ¶12. (C) In response to the Lithuanian PermRep, Moussa stated that the Arab League welcomes a dialogue with Russia. The country has many interests in the region, he said, and as a member of the UN Security Council and well as the Quad, Russia can play a positive role in the Middle East. Moussa also called for a nuclear free zone that applies to all countries in the Middle East. The security aspects of the "nuclear situation" in the region are very problematic and the international community's approach to nuclear weapons in the Middle East was "wrong from the start." -------------- Economic Development and Reform -------------- ¶13. (C) Setting politics aside, Ambassador Volker stressed the need for immediate and sustained economic development as the best way to improve the lives of all the people in the Middle East. Moussa agreed with his assessment and said that reform is needed in the Middle East and that Arab countries need to invest in their people, whether through economic development, better education, or human rights. At the 2004 Tunis Summit, the Arab League governments agreed to implement reform and Moussa is now demanding that each country submit an annual progress report on its efforts. He said that there will be an upcoming Arab League Summit to address the issues of economic development and social reform, which will examine the roles and responsibilities of both the private sector and civil society in raising the standard of living for all Arabs. -------------- Mauritania -------------- ¶14. (C) Ambassador Volker commended the Arab League for its efforts to find a resolution to the coup in Mauritania, and asked that it do more, in line with the Africa Union. Volker reminded Moussa that President Abdallahi and Prime Minister Waqef are still being detained and must be released immediately and unconditionally. -------------- Summary -------------- ¶15. (C) COMMENT: Moussa's presence at NATO should be seen as a gesture- by the Arab League, and Egypt in particular- to broaden contacts with NATO. That said, when left to answer questions on his own, Moussa reverted to type, blaming the U.S. (and just about anyone else) for problems in the region, while accepting little responsibility and offering little support of his own. When the Egyptian Ambassador in Brussels later heard of Ambassador Volker's irritation with Moussa's comments on U.S. policy, he called Ambassador Volker to make clear that Moussa was not reflecting Egypt's views on those comments. End Comment. REID