Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09JEDDAH123
2009-03-31 14:11:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Consulate Jeddah
Cable title:  

OIC OFFICIALS, ADDRESSING REGIONAL ISSUES, CALL

Tags:  PREL KISL OPDC OIC SA 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXRO5182
RR RUEHBC RUEHDBU RUEHDE RUEHDH RUEHKUK RUEHLH RUEHPW RUEHROV RUEHTRO
DE RUEHJI #0123 0901411
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 311411Z MAR 09
FM AMCONSUL JEDDAH
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1265
INFO RUCNISL/ISLAMIC COLLECTIVE
RUCNDTA/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 0070
C O N F I D E N T I A L JEDDAH 000123 

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR NEA/ARP, IO, IO/UNP; INFO IIP/SDIS, DRL, IRF, GTIP

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/31/2014
TAGS: PREL KISL OPDC OIC SA
SUBJECT: OIC OFFICIALS, ADDRESSING REGIONAL ISSUES, CALL
FOR STRENGTHENED US TIES AND HIGH LEVEL ATTENTION

REF: A. JEDDAH 0044

B. JEDDAH 0051

C. JEDDAH 0121

Classified By: CG Martin R. Quinn for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)

C O N F I D E N T I A L JEDDAH 000123

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR NEA/ARP, IO, IO/UNP; INFO IIP/SDIS, DRL, IRF, GTIP

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/31/2014
TAGS: PREL KISL OPDC OIC SA
SUBJECT: OIC OFFICIALS, ADDRESSING REGIONAL ISSUES, CALL
FOR STRENGTHENED US TIES AND HIGH LEVEL ATTENTION

REF: A. JEDDAH 0044

B. JEDDAH 0051

C. JEDDAH 0121

Classified By: CG Martin R. Quinn for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (C) SUMMARY: At an Organization of the Islamic
Conference(OIC) roundtable with visiting American professor
William Quandt, OIC Secretariat officials reiterated previous
calls for strengthened ties with the US government (refs
A,B),including appointment of a new US special envoy. OIC
officials said they want to see the United States become more
involved in resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and
proposed the Syrian track as the best avenue for success.
Roundtable discussion framed context for request from OIC SYG
Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu to meet POTUS in Turkey. END SUMMARY.


2. (C) QUANDT VISIT: On March 2 OIC officials hosted a
roundtable for visiting professor (US Speaker) William
Quandt, well-known author and Middle East commentator,
University of Virginia professor, and former NSC staffer.
Quandt spoke to several audiences in Jeddah, principally
about the issues of US and Iran, Iraq and the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

3. (C) ISRAEL/PALESTINE: Ambassador Mahdi Fathalla (former
Egyptian diplomat),OIC Director for Political Affairs,
called for additional US effort to produce a breakthrough on
the Israel-Palestine front. He described the Saudi-initiated
Arab peace proposal as a good starting point: "This is a
missed opportunity by the Israelis and the Americans since
they are playing it together. We know this and everybody
knows this. We are ready and the Arab initiative is on the
table, despite some Arab countries wanting to withdraw the
offer. There is an opportunity for reconciliation."

4. (C) SYRIA: Ufuk Gokcen (Turkish diplomat),advisor to the
Secretary General, opined that Israeli-Arab peace-making
efforts should focus on Syria: "It is very nave to ignore
the Syrian track. Syrian society is ready for peace. Solving
this issue will involve compromise for the Israelis, which
will make it easier for them to compromise on the Palestinian
issue."

5. (C) IRAN AND IRAQ: Other OIC views were the familiar
refrains. According to Fathalla, the Washington approach on
the Iran issue is "a pretext -- as in Iraq." Without
elaboration, he indicated that claims regarding Iran's
nuclear intentions are being used, by the US, "for political
purposes." Noting the recent trip of the OIC Secretary
General to Iraq, the first for SYG Ihsanoglu and the fourth
high level OIC delegation to visit Iraq, Fathalla said the
purpose was to learn from the Iraqis what the OIC can do to
assist. He claimed the OIC has played a positive role in
defusing tensions between Shi'a and Sunni, citing OIC's
success in bringing 30 scholars from both branches of Islam
to Mecca for intra-faith dialogue.

6. (C) SPECIAL ENVOY POSITION: OIC officials continue to
stress interest in renewing the position of the US special
envoy to the OIC. Fathalla said the OIC wishes to further
official contact with the USG through any and all available
channels, while urging the US "to take advantage of the OIC
itself" as a channel to the Muslim world: "The right channel
is the OIC; we can represent the many causes of the Islamic
World. We can be the proper channel for the new vision of
the new administration." Another OIC official expressed the
hope that "President Obama will fulfill his campaign promise
of holding a US-Islamic summit." OIC officials urged stronger
ties with the United States through unofficial contacts with
media, NGOs, and think tanks as a means of influencing
American public opinion and correcting chronic misperceptions
of Muslims and Islam.

7. (C) POST COMMENT: OIC officials, several of whom are
retired member state diplomats, tend to inflate the
importance of the OIC role in regional matters, particularly
with regard to its impact in reducing sectarian strife in
Iraq. While the organization may not have the commanding
influence in the Islamic world that its officials purport,
the OIC is a broad-based, generally moderate political body
with links to 57 Muslim member countries. Its leadership has
aggressively been courting strengthened ties with the USG
since the November election, including the appointment of a
new special envoy. Clearly, the OIC is seeking high level US
interaction in order to validate and legitimize its role as a
non-religious Muslim organization positioned to engage the
USG -- the latest being the March 24 request from OIC SYG
Ihsanoglu, passed to IO/UNP, to meet POTUS in Istanbul or
Ankara. END COMMENT.
QUINN