OIC SECRETARY GENERAL REQUESTS MEETING WITH

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 JEDDAH 000226 SIPDIS DEPT FOR NEA/ARP, IO FOR ANDREW MORRISON, S FOR HUMA ABEDIN, ECA FOR ELISABETH GOMEZ E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/12/2014 TAGS: PREL PHUM KISL KPAL WBG SA SUBJECT: OIC SECRETARY GENERAL REQUESTS MEETING WITH SECRETARY CLINTON FOLLOWING POTUS CAIRO SPEECH, CALLING PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE "A MASTERPIECE" REF: JEDDAH0175 JEDDAH 00000226 001.2 OF 002 Classified By: CONSUL GENERAL MARTIN R. QUINN FOR REASONS 1.4(B) AND (D ) ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: Following the President's POTUS speech, the Organization of the Islamic Conference remains fixated on gaining a meeting with a high-ranking U.S. official and specifically are requesting a meeting with the Secretary between June 15-23. While the OIC continues to press for lower level meetings, a meeting with the Secretary has been its highest priority. In meetings following the President's Cairo speech, the OIC Secretary General and officials have confirmed wide support for the President's message with SYG calling it a "masterpiece" and others comparing it to the Gettysburg Address. An OIC official has indicated that a special team has been organized to analyze the President's speech, the impact of which has seized the organization as it tries to find an appropriate role for itself. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (C) OIC SECRETARY GENERAL REQUESTS EARLY MEETING WITH SECRETARY: OIC Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, is interested in meeting the Secretary at her earliest convenience, suggesting June 15-23 dates as the preferred period. According to Ihsanoglu, the Secretary, who was seated next to him in the front row at Cairo University, suggested a meeting the next time he is in Washington. The agenda of the meeting, according to senior adviser Ufuk Gokcen would likely be focused on US-OIC relations, regional issues, and follow-up to the POTUS speech. Gokcen mentioned the possibility that the ongoing issue of OIC diplomatic status in the United States could be raised. ¶3. (SBU) OIC SECRETARY GENERAL AND OFFICIALS WOWED BY POTUS SPEECH: SYG Ihsanoglu was extremely positive about the speech: "We were very happy with the President's statement. Mrs. Clinton asked me my opinion, and I told her that I would endorse it. We are very happy about the reference to the OIC and this new polio initiative. The speech is a masterpiece of drafting and crafting, but with the personal touch and spirit of the President." Gokcen also praised the speech and noted that it is the foremost agenda item at the OIC at this time 
and that a special team was being formed to study the implications of the President's message in detail. Former Bangladesh Foreign Secretary Hemayet Uddin (OIC Director General for Cultural Affairs) told the CG and poloff on June 8 that the President's remarks will rank "among the most pivotal speeches of U.S. history including the Gettysburg Address." ¶4. (C) WHAT'S NEXT? SYG CALLS FOR RENEWED ISRAEL/PALESTINE ACTION, EXPRESSES OIC BACKING FOR ANY DEAL, REJECTS THE USE OF VIOLENCE: The discussion of the speech turned towards the future with the SYG stating that the speech is a strong beginning but that Muslims are waiting for next steps, especially with respect to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The SYG said that some Muslims feel more could have been done to pressure Israel and expressed his personal doubt that Israel can be moved towards concessions at this time: "Is Israel ready for peace? Is Israel ready to return back the rights that it's been withholding? Are they ready to accept the Arab Initiative?" Ihsanoglu promised the OIC will support any agreed-upon peace settlement: "We in the OIC have endorsed the Arab Initiative. There is potential for these 57 countries. Whatever Israel and Palestine both agree on, we'd be happy to support." He rejected violence to achieve political ends on either side: "We agree that violence should not be used. We say to the extremists, what you are doing is not resistance, but rather fireworks that lead to nothing. What they are doing is not logical. This is cheap politics and people are paying the price. They are willing to sacrifice the last Palestinian for their cause. They should be protecting people, not sacrificing them." ¶5. (C) SYG-S MEETING PRIORITIZED BY OIC OVER HIGH-LEVEL DELEGATION: According to Gokcen, the OIC remains interested in having high-level officials below the rank of Secretary General visit the U.S. for meetings with USG officials (reftel). However, Gokcen says the OIC's focus is now squarely on arranging a meeting between S and the SYG, with the possibility that a high-level delegation would come later. JEDDAH 00000226 002.2 OF 002 ¶6. (U) IVLP PROGRAM SET TO BEGIN JULY 20: OIC will be sending a group of eight mid-level professionals to the United States on July 20 for an International Visitor Leadership Program created especially for the OIC. The attendees on this program represent a diverse cross-section of professional roles and the OIC's member states. This is the second specialized IVLP for OIC professionals, the first one taking place in 2007 with a focus on inter-faith dialogue. ¶7. (SBU) SYMPOSIUM WITH GEORGETOWN/USIP: Gokcen reminded poloff that the OIC is keen to hold a symposium in Washington, DC, preferably with Georgetown University or the United States Institute of Peace (USIP). However, Gokcen also added the possibility that a hotel near the White House might be used, with the OIC insuring that several OIC member heads of states or high-ranking officials would be in attendance. The symposium presumably would focus on U.S.-Islamic relations as well as providing a context for the OIC to advance its role on the international stage. ¶8. (C) COMMENT: OIC'S CLAMOR FOR INCLUSION: As has been apparent in recent months, the OIC leadership is clamoring for high-level meetings with U.S. officials and now perceives the President's message as providing the welcome mat to more robust U.S.-OIC relations. Appearing quite concerned about missing the boat, OIC leadership recognizes the limits of its ability to mobilize its extremely diverse group of member states and sees close U.S.-OIC ties as perhaps the only way to legitimize and expand its influence and acceptance. The generally weak role of the OIC and the fact that the leadership is completely fixated on its relationship with the U.S. could mean that the organization would be amenable to adopting and publicly supporting a wide-range of U.S. positions as long as they feel themselves recognized and legitimized by senior U.S. leaders. The Turkish "inner council" that effectively runs the Organization may be ready to endorse a wide range of U.S. policies, but will be less likely to do so if they feel excluded from the U.S. dialogue with the Muslim world. END COMMENT. QUINN