MFA STATE MINISTER DESCRIBES UPCOMING ARAB LEAGUE

C O N F I D E N T I A L DOHA 000177

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/10/2019
TAGS: PREL QA
SUBJECT: MFA STATE MINISTER DESCRIBES UPCOMING ARAB LEAGUE
SUMMIT AGENDA

Classified By: Ambassador Joseph E. LeBaron, for reasons 1.4 (b, d).

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(C) KEY POINTS
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-- Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Al-Mahmoud told
Ambassador March 10 that Arab League Foreign Ministers were
generally in agreement during their deliberations on
establishing the agenda for the March 29-30 Arab League
Summit.

-- There was agreement among Foreign Ministers on the need
for Palestinian reconciliation, and "even Syria and Lebanon"
were collegial, he claimed.

-- Al-Mahmoud reported that only Arab League heads of state
have been invited to the Doha Summit (not Iran),but
representatives of the United Nations and African Union would
attend.

-- Al-Mahmoud said 28 agenda items were scheduled for
discussion at the Summit; he listed a dozen of them in the
meeting, and that list appears at the end of this message.

End Key Points.


1. (C) Ambassador asked Minister of State for Foreign Affairs
Ahmed Al-Mahmoud March 10 for an overview of the March 29-30
Arab League Summit agenda and for insights into its
preparations.


2. (C) Al-Mahmoud was optimistic the Arab League Summit
meeting in Doha would go well based on his recent meeting to
with Arab League Foreign Ministers to establish the agenda.
Al-Mahmoud told Ambassador, "It is important that there be no
disputes" among Arab League members in Doha.


3. (C) Al-Mahmoud was encouraged that the Foreign Ministers
"were not in disagreement" and that "there are no differences
of view on the Arab League initiative" with respect to the
steps needed to establish peace with Israel. Likewise, said
Al-Mahmoud, the Foreign Ministers were agreed that Arab
League support for Palestinian reconciliation is essential.
According to Al-Mahmoud, "even Syrian and Lebanon got along
well," and cooperated on language related to bring former
Lebanese PM Hariri's killers to justice.


4. (C) Al-Mahmoud assured the Ambassador that Iran's
President was not invited to the Summit and would not be
present, stating that only Arab League heads of state were
invited to the meeting. Al-Mahmoud added that there would be
non-member observers, such as the UN and African Union, in
attendance, however.


5. (C) Looking at the agenda for the Summit agreed to by the
Foreign Ministers, Al-Mahmoud listed for Ambassador a dozen
agenda items out of the 28 items agreed to by the Foreign
Ministers:

-- Palestinian issues

-- Iraq

-- Lebanon

-- return of the Golan Heights to Syria

-- Iran's occupation of various islands in the Gulf

-- Somalia

-- Djibouti's request for help resolving its dispute with
Eritrea

-- Situation in the Comoros Islands

-- Sudan

-- Relations with Europe, the Americas, and China

-- Establishing a nuclear-free zone in the Middle East

-- economic and social issues to include development and
trade issues


6. (C) Asked about the exact timing of the Summit, Al-Mahmoud
said the heads of state would arrive the evening of March 29,
with the actual Summit taking place March 30.
LeBaron