OIC CAMPAIGNING FOR SYG IHSANOGLU TO ATTEND POTUS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 JEDDAH 000175 SIPDIS DEPT FOR IO, IO/UNP(RMEYER,AMORRISON),NEA/ARP(JHARRIS), INFO DRL E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/21/2014 TAGS: KISL OFDP OPDC PREL SA OIC SUBJECT: OIC CAMPAIGNING FOR SYG IHSANOGLU TO ATTEND POTUS SPEECH IN CAIRO AND TO SEND DELEGATION TO WASHINGTON IN JUNE; SHARED OIC INTERNAL MEMO CONVEYS POSITIVE REFLECTIONS ON MAY 11 DEPT/NSC MEETINGS REF: A. JEDDAH 0152 ¶B. JEDDAH 0173 ¶C. JEDDAH O121 JEDDAH 00000175 001.3 OF 002 Classified By: Consul General Martin R. Quinn for reasons 1.4(b) and (d ) ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: In recent meeting an Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) official again expressed strong interest in sending a high level delegation to Washington in June, identifying five potential participants. In the course of the meeting, a May 13 email from OIC Permanent Observer to the United Nations Abdul Wahab was shared with Jeddah poloff describing OIC's campaign to have SYG Ihsanoglu invited to the POTUS speech to the Muslim world from Cairo, recognizing that the decision would likely be left to Egypt as host country. Similarly shared fax memo conveys Abdul Wahab's reflections on his "highly useful" May 11 meetings at the Department/NSC as well as on the May 12 US election to the UN Human Rights Council. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (C) OIC ACTIVELY SEEKING TO SEND DELEGATION FROM JEDDAH TO WASHDC IN JUNE: In recent meeting with Jeddah poloff Ufuk Gokcen, advisor to the OIC Secretary General, said the OIC is still interested in sending a high level delegation from the OIC Secretariat to Washington DC for a slate of meetings with key USG actors in June (per ref A). Gokcen says that this delegation would ultimately pave the way for a future visit by the Secretary General, but would not need to include him on this first foray. Gokcen identified four persons likely to comprise the delegation: Gokcen himself; Mahdi Fathalla, Director of the Political Affairs Section; Samir Bakr, Assistant Secretary for Political Affairs; and Hemayet Uddin, Assistant Secretary for Cultural and Social Affairs. He added that Ambassador Abdul Wahab, the OIC Permanent Observer to the UN, would likely join. Gokcen noted interest in scheduling the visit soon since "We don't want to lose time." ¶3. (C) OIC CAMPAIGN FOR IHSANOGLU TO ATTEND POTUS MUSLIM WORLD SPEECH: Gokcen passed poloff a copy of a May 13 email (to Gokcen himself) and a fax memo from Permanent Observer of the OIC to the United Nations Abdul Wahab to OIC Director 
General of the Cabinet Sukru Tufan highlighting aspects of OIC's campaign to get Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu invited to POTUS speech to the Muslim world from Cairo. Email text: BEGIN QUOTE. Given below is a copy of the fax that I sent to Jeddah today about my visit to Washington DC. Being an open fax, I have not mentioned the following point in it: (i) You were kind enough to call me on Monday morning about the importance of the OICSG's presence in Cairo when President Obama delivers his address to the Muslim world. As I told you on phone yesterday, I did raise this at all levels at the State Department as well as the NSC. At one stage, the concerned official mentioned to me that (a) the State Department does not yet have a clear enough picture of the Cairo event; (b) the presence of the OICSG will obviously be important because President Obama's address is for the entire Muslim word with the OICSG represents; but (c) the decision of inviting OICSG and others would perhaps be left to Egypt. END QUOTE. ¶4. (C) PICKING UP POSITIVE VIBES DURING WASHINGTON VISIT: Abdul Wahab devotes the last segment of his fax memo to positive reflection on his reception at the Department and NSC: BEGIN QUOTE: Analysis and Assessment: At all levels during the day, I could clearly feel that the current administration treats the OIC and His Excellency the Secretary General with utmost respect and importance. Questions asked of me during the discussions were meant to understand the role that the OIC and its Secretary General play; any criticism of any position of the OIC on any isssue was strictly avoided. I left the State Department and NSC with a clear perception that the new administration is genuinely eager to have better relations with the Muslim world and understand the crucial role that His Excellency the Secretary General can and does play in this context. I sensed that the officials dealing with us eagerly await the appointment of a Special Envoy not JEDDAH 00000175 002.2 OF 002 only in the interest of US-OIC relations but also for a channel of communication directly with His Excellency the Secretary General. There is a feeling of a kind of helplessness as the concerned officials try to devise an effective enough approach to improve relations and not to be seen in confrontational mode with the OIC Group at international fora. Their reliance on the good offices of His Excellency the Secretary General in this arena is particularly genuine. END QUOTE. ¶5. (C) "HIGHLY USEFUL" MEETING WITH IO: UN HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL AND DEFAMATION ISSUE: Abdul Wahab's May 13 fax memo describes his May 11 meetings in Washington as "highly useful," adding perspective on the US election to the UN Human Rights Council and the anti-defamation issue. Abdul Wahab exerts to characterize the USG position for the benefit of Cabinet Director General and other senior staff at the OIC Secretariat in Jeddah: BEGIN QUOTE. Let me highlight that in view of the expectations of the United States winning the elections to the Human Rights Council (the US did win a seat at yesterday's elections to the HRC),a great deal of the focus of my interlocutors was on cooperation between the US and the OIC in the context of issues at the Council. I found them to be keen on avoiding confrontation with the OIC Group on the 'Defamation of Religions' resolutions though they clearly stated that the US would not be able to accept any text that even remotely attempts at placing restrictions on freedom of expression. Dr. Brimmer explained that the administration would wish to work closely with the OIC Group and all members to enable the HRC to play its due role in accordance with its mandate. A senior official remarked that the HRC is unfortunately on a course that appears to be as problematic as was the state of affairs in the erstwhile Commission on Human Rights. It may be recalled that the previous administration had 'boycotted' the HRC; the new administration's policy and yesterday's election giving the US a seat on the HRC is being treated as a historic opportunity for the US to play a leadership role in the Council. Dr. Brimmer and all her colleagues stressed that (i) the US would wish to work with the OIC in an effort to resolve differences on the text; (ii) the US respects the OIC's core desire of ensuring respect for Islam, the Holy Prophet and Muslims; (iii) the real problem on this resolution is that no US authority can violate the Constitution's First Amendment...and (iv) the US and OIC should work together to work out a text that would project a 'positive vision' and 'focus on ensuring tolerance and respect.' END QUOTE. ¶6. (C) Post is providing IO, IO/UNP and NEA/ARP a scan of the complete May 13 memo/email from Abdul Wahab. (C) COMMENT: It is clear from the internal communications shared with post that the OIC eagerly seeks opportunities for engagement and dialogue with the Obama Administration, including invitations to Cairo for POTUS speech and to Washington. Working overtime to present itself as a credible bloc representing the Islamic World, the OIC perceives the US-OIC connection as key to elevating its status. The organization can be expected to continue to push for senior meetings and to view the appointment of a Special Envoy as an urgent priority in order to realize its goals. END COMMENT. QUINN