FM ZEBARI ON KUWAIT SUMMIT - SHARP DIVISIONS ON

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 000171 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/22/2019 TAGS: PREL PGOV MEPP IZ IS KPAL KU SUBJECT: FM ZEBARI ON KUWAIT SUMMIT - SHARP DIVISIONS ON GAZA, BUT NEW LEVEL OF RESPECT FOR IRAQ REF: BAGHDAD 112 Classified By: Ambassador Ryan C. Crocker for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) Summary: Back in Baghdad for 24 hours before heading to Ankara for 3-day visit, Foreign Minister Zebari provided Ambassador Satterfield and Senior Advisor Gray a detailed readout January 22 of the January 19-20 Arab League Summit in Kuwait, along with observations of the Qatari sub-drama that surrounded it. Zebari confirmed that events of the past week had exacerbated growing cleavages between Arab moderates and hardliners. At the same time, the role that Iraq played, and the degree of respect which it was accorded by others, was at a level not seen in previous Arab League gatherings. This cable is on the Gaza aspect of the Kuwait Summit. Septel will report on bilateral meetings Iraq had on the margins of the Summit, most notably with Kuwait. End Summary. -------------- Good For Iraq, But Bitter Taste Remains from VP Hashimi's Doha "Consultations" -------------- ¶2. (C) Zebari began his Kuwait Summit readout saying "this time I felt really proud of my country on how far we've come, how we've been integrated into the region, and how much they (i.e. Arab moderates) need us." The moderates, he said, "needed Iraq to kill the Doha 'Summit'. They gave us so much praise and said they've now seen Iraq's true colors." At the same time, Zebari could not hide his lingering bitterness with Iraqi Vice President Hashimi's decision to go to Doha against the advice and requests of Zebari, President Talabani and others. Zebari said he had told Hashimi "if you want to discuss Gaza, do so in Kuwait. If you must go to Doha, go at a later time." Even though the Doha meeting was classified as a "consultative meeting" rather than an Arab League Summit, and the decision of Iraq's Presidency Council had provided a "loophole" allowing for Iraqi participation in such "consultations," Hashimi's presence there with the rogue's gallery of hardliners put Iraq in an embarrassing position as the Kuwait Summit began. Summing it up, Zebari said of Hashimi "he let us down." -------------- -------------- Deepening Division Between Moderates and Hardliners -------------- -------------- ¶3. (C) Zebari confirmed that Gaza dominated the Kuwait Summit, diluting discussion of economic and social issues which had been its original purpose. "The Qataris were determined to do this," Zebari said, "and the Kuwaitis were very offended." He added "you felt there were two clear camps: the moderates (Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Kuwait, UAE, Bahrain, Yemen, Tunisia and the Palestinian Authority) and the rest (Syria, Qatar, Oman, Sudan, Algeria, Libya, Djibouti, Mauritania and the Comoros Islands). ¶4. (C) There was, Zebari recounted, "fierce competition" throughout the gathering between Egypt and Syria. References to the Egyptian Initiative to broker a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas "agitated the Syrians and Qataris" and any attempt to give recognition to Egypt's mediating efforts sparked immediate calls by Syria for parallel recognition of its role in convincing Hamas to accept the ceasefire. Qatar sought to have the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative declared dead and gain Arab League agreement "to support the resistance." Zebari said "this was resisted by our group" adding that he told the Qataris "either you drop it, or you go to war, or you go back to 'no war, no peace." Similarly, efforts to push for a decision calling for Arab states having relations Qpush for a decision calling for Arab states having relations with Israel to cut them, was resisted by Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia. -------------- "Lots of Kissing" Onstage, but Behind the Scenes Acrimony -------------- ¶5. (C) Zebari praised the important role played by the Amir of Kuwait to bring Arabs together, but in the end there was no way to salvage the meeting and agree on a final communique. Although "there was lots of kissing' when Bashar al-Asad, the Amir of Qatar and King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia met, behind the scenes ministers remained deadlocked over Qatar's insistence that the Doha Gaza meeting be referenced. This was rejected by Egypt and Saudi Arabia, Zebari said, who understood that any such reference "would constitute recognizing a role for Ahmadinajad and Iran" in the peace process. In the end, the inability to bridge this gap resulted in no agreement and no final statement on Gaza. BAGHDAD 00000171 002 OF 002 -------------- --- Up Ahead: Casting Blame, Consolidating Positions, And Looking to the New U.S. Administration -------------- --- ¶6. (C) Assessing the state of Arab relations following the drama of the past week, Zebari said "everyone realizes that reconciliation has not been genuine; both camps will try to consolidate their positions." The idea that any one Arab League country holds veto power over the group was rejected, he said, while the notion that all Arab countries are of equal weight, regardless of size, gained ground." It will be important, he noted, to watch what happens at the upcoming annual March Arab League Summit (this year in Doha) where these cleavages will again be exposed. In the interim, Zebari noted, "everyone is looking to see how the new U.S. Administration will proceed." CROCKER