OIC'S 36TH MINISTERIAL CONVENES IN DAMASCUS:

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 DAMASCUS 000375

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR NEA/IPA, NEA/ELA
NSC FOR SHAPIRO/MCDERMOTT
LONDON FOR TSOU, PARIS FOR WALLER

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/25/2019
TAGS: PREL KPAL IS SY
SUBJECT: OIC'S 36TH MINISTERIAL CONVENES IN DAMASCUS:
TERRORISM, ISLAMOPHOBIA AND ISRAEL

Classified By: A/DCM Raymond Maxwell for reasons 1.4(b,d)


1. (U) Summary: Syria played host to the 36th meeting of the
Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) ministerial
meeting May 23-25. As in past sessions, the ministers
focused on issues related to the Arab-Israeli conflict,
combating "Islamophobia" and terrorism, the potential for OIC
peacekeeping operations, and increasing the Organization's
capacity tackle heath issues throughout the Islamic world.
All 57 member states dispatched delegations to the
conference, though Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit
and Qatari Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Ahmed
Al-Mahmoud were noticeably absent from the conference;
notable attendees included Russian Foreign Minister Sergey
Lavrov and Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottako. Of
particular interest, the Saudi delegation proposed a
resolution urging OIC member countries to recognize the
independence of Kosovo, but the language in the final report
fell far short of recognition. The final report also made a
point to "express surprise" at the renewal of U.S. sanctions
on Syria and called for the Syria Accountability Act to be
repealed. President Bashar al-Asad's opening statement took
square aim at Israel and the West, blaming Israeli
intransigence and Western "denial of the facts" for the
current impasse in Arab-Israeli peace negotiations. He
exhorted Islamic countries to maintain a strong front in the
face of (Western) attacks on Islamic identity, including
efforts to equate Islam with terrorism. He urged Muslims to
put substance over form in defending their religion and took
them to task for not meeting the requirements of the faith,
in particular for failing to maintain the unity of the ummah
(community of believers). End Summary.


2. (U) Under the banner "Towards Promoting Islamic
Solidarity," Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu presided
over the 36th annual ministerial meeting of the Organization
of the Islamic Conference (OIC) from May 23-25 in Damascus.
Issues ranging from the current status of the peace process
in the Middle East to addressing arrears of member states
were among the over 70 topics set for discussion on the
ambitious agenda. Though Ihsanoglu's opening remarks
generally stayed clear of sensitive political issues, he did
speak about the "Judaization" of Jerusalem saying, "The city
of Al Quds (Jerusalem) and the Holy Mosque of Al Aqsa are
also facing an unprecedented vicious attack with the aim of
Judaizing them and fully obliterating their Arab-Islamic
identity." He then went on to address the situation in Gaza
which he decried as "Israeli aggression which included war
crimes and the use of internationally prohibited weapons."
He added that it was incumbent upon the group assembled to
"ensure that the perpetrators of those crimes be brought to
justice before the relevant international courts."

--------------
ASAD'S REMARKS
--------------


3. (U) Syrian President Bashar al-Asad delivered the key-note
address as host. His lengthy speech hit on several main
themes: the current impasse over Arab-Israeli peace
negotiations - with particular blame on Israel and the West,
the right of resistance, combating terrorism, the rise of
"Islamophobia," and the Muslim world's failure to adhere to
the tenants of the faith, with particular focus on the
inability of the Muslim world to maintain the unity of the
ummah (community of believers).


--------------
ISRAEL - NO PARTNER IN PEACE
--------------


4. (U) On Israel, Asad said, "We are not talking only about
six decades of occupation, but also about seventeen years
since the launch of the peace talks in Madrid which led to
nothing but harming peace and making it more difficult to
achieve." He noted that all of these failed efforts have
only served to "expose" and "reveal" the truth of Israel to
the world. "This state," he said, "has for decades portrayed
itself as an innocent 'lamb' which wants peace with the
'wolves' surrounding it, including the original Palestinian
owners of the land. But the failure of this process up till
now has starkly shown that Israel is the greatest obstacle to
peace." Exhorting the right of resistance, Asad went on to

DAMASCUS 00000375 002 OF 003


add, "Today, too, after another experience with Israel, and
after the indirect talks through Turkey, this truth has been
proven once again, which leads to another truth: Political
failure to restore legitimate rights to their owners will
give resistance the right to carry out its duty and restore
them." Asad questioned how Israel could be a partner for
peace while it has "always hindered, implicitly and
explicitly, the possibility of reaching any agreement during
the whole span of the peace process" and "while it is founded
on illegitimate occupation, continuous killing of the
indigenous Palestinian people carrying out massacres in
Lebanon, the West Bank, and Gaza for decades." Speaking on
the "racist segregation wall in the West Bank," the "slow
death meted out on Gaza by imposing a blockade," and the
"systematic Judization of Jerusalem," Asad said Israel's acts
were nothing short of "ethnic cleansing." Asad suggested
that any developments in the relationship with Israel must be
linked to concrete steps on the part of Israel, including a
commitment to a just and comprehensive peace, the return of
the legitimate rights, and its withdrawal from the occupied
territories in Palestine, the Golan Heights, and southern
Lebanon.

--------------
THE WEST IS TO BLAME, TOO
--------------



5. (U) Asad went on to add that the West, too, was
responsible for the "turbulence" in the Middle East, saying,
They (the West) used, for years, to deny the facts on the
ground and adopted an inverted logic of accusing the
resistance of terrorism and depicting them as outlawed gangs
who do not belong to represent their people in their struggle
against occupation." Taking a clear shot at Western
accusations of human-rights abuses in Syria, Asad said, "Such
states have further adopted the worst form of double
standards when they preach sermons about human rights, but
when these humans are Arabs or Muslims, death becomes the
only right they defend or advocate." The West, he claimed,
continued to deny the facts on the ground, "particularly the
massive public support which resistance forces have in our
region, making them the major elements in any solution and
the most important guarantor of the return of rights to their
owners."


6. (U) Asad noted that the current situation only creates
"fertile ground for tension and extremism which breeds
terrorism." He suggested that political security is achieved
when pending political issues are solved, and by "instilling
true faith and sound moral values, and promoting a culture of
openness." Asad acknowledged that terrorism had become a
"dangerous global phenomenon" but made a clear distinction
between terrorism and resistance, saying the West was "mixing
cards" with its rhetoric. He rejected "labeling any religion
or culture with terrorism, as the situation is for Islam and
Muslims." He added that Muslims also have a responsibility
to "not confuse defending their religion with defending
terrorism, or being committed to their faith and being
stringent and fanatical. Confusing our affairs gives others
a pretext to confuse them," he argued, "as when some people
talk about 'Islamic terrorism.'"

--------------
OK, WE BEAR SOME OF THE BLAME
--------------


7. (U) Taking his guests to task for not adhering to the
teachings of Islam, Asad asked "how can we defend a religion
whose obligations we fail to carry out?" He noted that
"defending the form has become more important than defending
the substance." At times Asad was uncharacteristically
introspective in his remarks, saying "We should carry out an
honest stock-taking exercise with ourselves," adding,
"blaming others is merely an attempt at escaping a reality
which we do not see and which we do not want to see."
Finally, in what may be characterized as classic projection,
Asad said, "we get rid of our inferiority complex when we see
the results of our work, instead of compensating for the
pride and arrogance towards others in order to have some fake
feeling of superiority."


8. (U) Full remarks can be read at:
http://www.oic.oci.org/36cfm/w/en/Sp-PRES-SYR IA.pdf

DAMASCUS 00000375 003 OF 003



--------------
OIC NOTABLE TAKE-AWAYS
--------------


9. (U) On the margins of the conference the OIC and the
Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria signed a
memorandum of understanding to enhance the cooperation
between member states and to mobilize additional donors to
support the Global Fund's program. The OIC Observatory on
Islamophobia released its second annual report on what they
described as an "unfortunate trend of Islamophobia,"
detailing causes and solutions for the international
community to address. Additionally, a brainstorming session
was held on the OIC's future role in maintaining peace and
security, and resolving conflicts in member states.

--------------
FINAL RESOLUTION
--------------


10. (U) The final resolution document contained a liberal
helping of demands, condemnations and strong condemnations.
In short, the document denounced Israeli practices against
the Palestinians, affirmed the right to establish an
independent Palestinian state, demanded a halt to
construction of Israeli settlements, and called for a
continued boycott of Israeli goods. The resolution fell far
short of recognizing Kosovo, as called for by a Saudi
amendment proposal, and merely reaffirmed the strong interest
of the OIC regarding Muslims in the Balkans and took note of
the progress made towards strengthening democracy in Kosovo.
The final resolution also affirmed the sovereignty of Iraq
and supported GOI efforts to preserve the country's security
and stability. The ministers denounced linking terrorism
with race and religion, and called for a U.N. sponsored
conference to identify terrorism. They showed solidarity
with Khartoum against "aggressive plots targeting the
sovereignty of Sudan," and criticized the International
Criminal Court's indictments of Sudanese President Omar
al-Bashir. The final statement backed Yemen's unity,
denounced recent attacks in Mogadishu, and called for a
reactivation of Somalia's OIC membership. The draft
resolution also expressed OIC members' concern about Israel's
nuclear capabilities and demanded a Middle-East-zone free of
nuclear arms. Finally, the resolution "expresses surprise"
at the renewal of the sanctions against Syria by the U.S.,
"especially at a time when the U.S. is attempting to
establish relations with Arabs and Muslims in the region,"
rejects the "so-called Accountability of Syria Bill" and
requests the United States to reconsider this law.


11. (U) Full resolution on political issues can be read at:
http://www.oic-oci.org/36cfm/w/en/res/36CFM-P OL-RES-FINAL.pdf


12. (U) The 37th meeting of the OIC ministerial conference
will be held in Dushambe, the Republic of Tajikistan in 2010.
The ministers expressed support for holding the 38th meeting
in Astana, Republic of Kazakhstan in 2011.


13. (C) Comment: As an invited observer to the opening
remarks it was not lost on us - nor perhaps on most in
attendance - that Asad spoke as a Muslim himself, with a
blithe disregard for how the Alawi sect is viewed by
mainstream Muslims. Asad's attempt to shame fellow Muslims
into supporting the failed policies of his state by invoking
tenants of the Muslim faith will likely fall flat. Finally,
Asad's continued public rhetoric in support of the
"resistance" will make walking-back such remarks all the more
difficult should the time come for an actual peace agreement.
Worse yet, having uttered these kind of remarks enough, he
may actually have grown to believe them.

CONNELLY