IN THE SHADOW OF AL-BASHIR AND CHAVEZ, ARAB AND

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 DOHA 000235

SIPDIS

DHAKA FOR P/E

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/01/2019
TAGS: PREL KPAL WBG XR AL QA SU
SUBJECT: IN THE SHADOW OF AL-BASHIR AND CHAVEZ, ARAB AND
SOUTH AMERICAN LEADERS MEET IN DOHA

REF: A. DOHA 222

B. DOHA 188

C. DOHA 192

D. BRASILIA 391

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

--------------
(SBU) KEY POINTS
--------------

-- 12 South American leaders gathered in Doha March 31 with
14 Arab heads of state or government and 8 other Arab
delegates for the Second Arab-South America Summit, held
immediately after the Arab League Summit (Ref A).

-- Highlights from the final statement appear in the main
text below. On several critical issues, the statement
resembled the Doha Declaration issued at the end of the Arab
League Summit, though without statement in support of
indicted Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir.

-- Individual South American leaders were not reluctant,
however, to take positions on the Bashir indictment, with
Venezuelan President Chavez calling it a "farce."

-- In his latest effort to undercut the U.S. position in the
world economy, a typically bombastic Chavez called for a
"petro-currency" to replace the dollar. There was no
indication that this proposal gained any support.

--------------
(C) COMMENTS AND ANALYSIS
--------------

-- Despite the passing references to food security made in
the final statement, Qatar in particular sees a strong link
between the food security problems of the Arab states and the
energy security issues that face most of South America. As
an MFA official told us, "they need energy, we need food"
(Ref B). We expect to see Qatar, and perhaps other Arab
states, increase their energy links with South America in the
coming years, and for them to increase their investments in
the South American agriculture sectors at the same time.

-- The Summit condemned Israeli policy in Gaza and U.S.
policy towards Syria. It appears, as predicted by Embassy
Brasilia in Ref D, that South American leaders could not
resist Arab pressures to adopt language similar to that
adopted in previous ministerial meetings they have held with
Arab leaders under the dialogue established in Brasilia in

2005.

-- Contrary to the fears expressed by senior Qatari officials
in advance of the Summit, the presence of indicted Sudanese
President Omar al-Bashir did not appear to be an issue for
the South American leaders. This is in spite of the fact
that nearly all of their countries are signatories to the ICC
statute.

End Key Points, Comments, and Analysis.


1. (SBU) The Second Arab-South America Summit was held in
Doha on March 31. Amir Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani welcomed
the delegates on behalf of the Arab League, and Chilean
President Michelle Bachelet delivered opening remarks on
behalf of the South American states.


2. (SBU) With characteristic bombast, Venezuelan President
Hugo Chavez used the Summit to blast the U.S. and Israel.
"The time has come for the final fall of the American
empire," he roared. He used the forum to urge the adoption
of an alternative reserve currency to replace the dollar, but
there was no indication that his proposal gained much

DOHA 00000235 002 OF 003


support.


3. (SBU) Whether the presence of Sudanese President Omar
al-Bashir would cause some South American leaders to skip the
summit had been a major concern of senior Qatari officials
before the Summit, but it did not. The final statement did
not, however, contain language in support of al-Bashir such
as that found in the Arab League final statement of the day
before. One leader was clearly uncomfortable with al-Bashir.
Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner excused
herself from the conference room rather that appear in a
photo with al-Bashir.


4. (SBU) Chavez, on the other hand, was not shy about his
support for al-Bashir. On his arrival in Doha, Chavez
commented that the ICC had "no power to take such an action
against a sitting president. It does so because it is an
African country, a Third World country. Why don't they order
the arrest of (former U.S. President) Bush? Why don't they
order the arrest of the Israeli President (Shimon Peres)?"


5. (U) Following are highlights of the "Doha Declaration"
issued at the close of the March 31 Arab-South America Summit:

GLOBAL FINANCIAL CRISIS: The Arab and South American leaders
expressed their deep concern over the current financial
crisis and its impact on the world's poor. They called for
the establishment of a world financial system that prevents
financial speculation and provides for adequate regulation,
and the convening of an international conference under the
auspices of the UN to discuss the crisis.

FALKLANDS DISPUTE: The statement calls upon the leaders of
Argentina and the UK - to resume negotiations in order to
find, as soon as possible, a peaceful and definitive solution
to the sovereignty dispute referred to as "Question of the
Malvinas/Falkland Islands," in accordance with the many
relevant UN Resolutions.

FOOD SECURITY: The leaders recognized "the imperative need
to coordinate policies that guarantee food security and food
sovereignty for all populations as well as timely and
permanent access to food, and to enhance cooperation in rural
development, so as to improve productivity in food
production." They also emphasized their commitment to
strengthen the committee on World Food Security as the
international forum for combating food insecurity.

ECONOMIC COOPERATION: Arab and South American leaders
expressed their support for the ongoing trade negotiations
between MERCOSUR and Egypt, Jordan and Morocco, and the
separate effort between MERCOSUR and the GCC to create a free
trade zone. They also pledged their support for any of their
number seeking accession to the WTO.

COOPERATION IN THE ENERGY SECTOR: The leaders pledged to
"foster the building of mechanisms for cooperation and
information-sharing in the sector of oil, natural gas and
other energy resources, including exchange of technical
expertise, technology transfer, and human resources
training." They also pledged their support on alternative
energy, including biofuels.

SOCIAL AND CULTURAL COOPERATION: The leaders pledged their
future cooperation in the areas of science and technology,
and through cultural and religious exchanges. They expressed
their support for the UN Alliance of Civilizations Initiative
and for Saudi King Abdullah's call for closer dialogue among
the world's religions. They urged all Arab and South
American nations to attend the Second Meeting of the
Ministers of Culture to be held in Rio de Janeiro on May
20-21, 2009.

ISRAEL/PALESTINE: The leaders "deplored" the recent Israeli

DOHA 00000235 003 OF 003


military operation in Gaza, and called for the immediate
reopening of all border crossings between Israel and Gaza.
The leaders further called for a just and sustainable peace
based upon the principle of land for peace. They called for
the withdrawal of Israeli forces to the borders as they
existed before 4 June 1967. They also expressed support for
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and the Palestinian
Authority.

LEBANON/SYRIA: Leaders called for Israeli withdrawal from
occupied territories in Lebanon and Syria, and called the
U.S. "Syria Accountability Act" a violation of international
law and an unjustified burden on the Syrian people and
economy.

SUDAN: The final statement did not mention the ICC arrest
warrant currently pending against Sudanese President
al-Bashir, but praised the efforts of Qatar, the Arab League,
and the African Union to solve the crisis. It urged rebel
factions in Sudan to support the peace process.

IRAQ: The leaders reaffirmed their support for the unity,
freedom, sovereignty, and independence of Iraq and its right
to be free from interference in its internal affairs. They
also expressed their respect for the right of the Iraqi
people to freely decide their own future, and condemned the
acts of terrorism and violence that affect them.

IRAN: Like the Declaration issued at the close of the Arab
League, the final statement avoided the issue of Iran's
nuclear program and instead called upon it to respond
positively to the UAE initiative aimed at resolving their
sovereignty dispute over three UAE islands.

TERRORISM: The statement condemned terrorism in all its
forms, and rejected "any linkage between terrorism and a
specific people or religion, ethnicity or culture."

NUCLEAR ISSUES: The Arab and South American leaders
maintained "that regional security and stability in the
Middle East require that the whole region be free of nuclear
and other weapons of mass destruction." They called upon all
regional states to accede to the NPT, and to place all of
their nuclear facilities under the comprehensive IAEA
safeguards. The leaders reaffirmed "that the use of nuclear
energy for peaceful purposes is the inalienable right of the
parties to the NPT, and applying this right in a
discriminatory or selective way, especially to the states
parties, will affect the credibility of the treaty." They
also stressed the disarmament requirement of the NPT, and
called upon the nuclear weapons states to carry out that
obligation in good faith.
LeBaron