HOLBROOKE PRESSES QATARI CROWN PRINCE FOR

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 DOHA 000412 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/22/2019 TAGS: EAID PREL QA PK SUBJECT: HOLBROOKE PRESSES QATARI CROWN PRINCE FOR ASSISTANCE FOR PAKISTANI REFUGEES REF: DOHA 404 Classified By: Ambassador Joseph LeBaron, for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) Summary: In a June 7 meeting with Qatari Crown Prince Tamim, Ambassador Richard Holbrooke outlined the severity of the humanitarian situation in Pakistan's northwest areas and made a strong appeal for humanitarian assistance from Qatar to help stabilize the country. The Crown Prince agreed that helping the refugees is important not only for Pakistan but also for the entire region, and promised to raise the issue directly with the Amir and the Prime Minister. In addition, the Crown Prince noted that Qatar has a great deal to offer more than just financial assistance and would like to be involved in a discussion about the region and other issues in general. Citing President Obama's recent speech in Cairo as an offer of a new relationship, Ambassador Holbrooke promised his support for a new strategic dialogue between Qatar and the United States. End Summary. -------------- International Assistance Needed to Help Dire Situation in Pakistan -------------- ¶2. (C) Making a special visit to Doha on June 7, 2009, to discuss the refugee situation in Pakistan, Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Ambassador Richard Holbrooke met with Qatari Crown Prince Shaykh Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, following-up on his visit to Pakistan earlier in the week. ¶3. (C) Agreeing with the Crown Prince that a stable Pakistan is vitally important for the entire region, Ambassador Holbrooke described the ongoing humanitarian situation created by Pakistan's recent military operations in the northwest areas of the country. While assessing the refugee camps to be better than most others he's seen in terms of food supply, survival rates, and sanitation, Ambassador Holbrooke advised that the refugees need to go home soon to resume their lives and escape the possibility of a long-term residence in the camps. Nothing that more refugees could be created by further Army offensives, he described the situation as encouraging but "on a knife's edge." ¶4. (C) Ambassador Holbrooke highlighted that the U.S. had already spent over 90% of the $110 million pledged by Secretary Clinton on May 19th and that he had just announced an additional pledge of $200 million more. As the rest of the world had thus far pledged only $170 million, U.S. contributions accounted for almost two-thirds of all international assistance for the refugees. In that context, he asked the Qatari government to consider significant support. ¶5. (C) Crown Prince Tamim, while making no concrete commitments, promised to raise the issue directly with the Amir and the Prime Minister as soon as he could. He stressed that Qatar understood the importance of helping the refugees to avoid creating further chaos and expressed an eagerness to talk directly to the Pakistani government about their needs. -------------- -------------- Crown Prince Offers More Than Just Financial Assistance -------------- -------------- ¶6. (C) Crown Prince Tamim went on to highlight that in addition to financial assistance, Qatar is strongly interested in maintaining a dialogue with the United States and other regional players, such as Turkey, about Pakistan and how to encourage stability there. He stressed the importance of working together and talking to each other regularly to draw on mutual strengths - not only on Pakistan but on other issues as well, both in the region and globally. Ambassador Holbrooke readily agreed that Qatar can quite usefully be part of a group that helps on a wide variety of issues and conveyed his personal interest in fomenting a productive relationship, particularly on Pakistan. -------------- -------------- Holbrooke on Support for a U.S.-Qatar Strategic Dialogue -------------- -------------- ¶7. (C) Turning to the broader strategic dialogue that the Crown Prince proposed, Ambassador Holbrooke embraced the idea as the embodiment of President Obama's recent speech in Cairo. Noting that the speech offered historic opportunities for new relationships with Muslim countries that should be followed up on, he reiterated that the United States is DOHA 00000412 002.9 OF 002 putting a great deal of attention on Qatar. As Ambassador Holbrooke noted his support for a strategic dialogue, the Crown Prince stressed that the United States has a "strong friend" in Qatar. -------------- -------------- Comment: No Financial Commitment but a Promising Opening -------------- -------------- ¶8. (C) Although the Crown Prince was not able to make a concrete pledge for assisting Pakistani refugees, it was not expected he would do so without consulting the Amir and the Prime Minister, both of whom were unavailable to meet with Ambassador Holbrooke due to travel outside Qatar. Rather, the meeting provided an opportunity to impress upon him the need for significant assistance, to which he appeared to respond quite favorably. The offer for and interest in maintaining an active dialogue with the United States also bodes well for a robust pledge by Qatar in the coming days. -------------- Participants -------------- ¶9. (U) Participants: Qatar: Shaykh Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Crown Prince of Qatar Adel Al-Khal, MFA Director of European and American Affairs United States: Ambassador Richard Holbrooke, Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Ambassador Joseph LeBaron, U.S. Ambassador to Qatar Major General Burt Field, Senior Military Advisor to the Special Representative RoseMarie Pauli, Chief of Staff to the Special Representative Anish Goel, Director for South Asia, National Security Council (notetaker) ¶10. (U) The office of the Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan has cleared this cable. LeBaron