Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09KUWAIT54
2009-01-21 15:29:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Kuwait
Cable title:
ARAB ECONOMIC SUMMIT: ARAB DISUNITY AND GAZA
how-toVZCZCXRO1618 PP RUEHDE RUEHDIR DE RUEHKU #0054/01 0211529 ZNY CCCCC ZZH P 211529Z JAN 09 FM AMEMBASSY KUWAIT TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 2666 INFO RUEHZM/GULF COOPERATION COUNCIL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY RUEHAS/AMEMBASSY ALGIERS PRIORITY 0301 RUEHAM/AMEMBASSY AMMAN PRIORITY 1983 RUEHGB/AMEMBASSY BAGHDAD PRIORITY 1345 RUEHLB/AMEMBASSY BEIRUT PRIORITY 1139 RUEHEG/AMEMBASSY CAIRO PRIORITY 1146 RUEHDM/AMEMBASSY DAMASCUS PRIORITY 3163 RUEHDJ/AMEMBASSY DJIBOUTI PRIORITY 0035 RUEHKH/AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM PRIORITY RUEHNK/AMEMBASSY NOUAKCHOTT PRIORITY 0075 RUEHRB/AMEMBASSY RABAT PRIORITY 0661 RUEHYN/AMEMBASSY SANAA PRIORITY 0584 RUEHTV/AMEMBASSY TEL AVIV PRIORITY 1688 RUEHTU/AMEMBASSY TUNIS PRIORITY 0996 RUEHJM/AMCONSUL JERUSALEM PRIORITY 1370 RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC PRIORITY RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KUWAIT 000054
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/20/2019
TAGS: ECON PREL KPAL KU
SUBJECT: ARAB ECONOMIC SUMMIT: ARAB DISUNITY AND GAZA
CLASHES APPARENT UNDER A VENEER OF RECONCILIATION
REF: 09KUWAIT14
Classified By: Ambassador Deborah Jones for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KUWAIT 000054
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/20/2019
TAGS: ECON PREL KPAL KU
SUBJECT: ARAB ECONOMIC SUMMIT: ARAB DISUNITY AND GAZA
CLASHES APPARENT UNDER A VENEER OF RECONCILIATION
REF: 09KUWAIT14
Classified By: Ambassador Deborah Jones for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)
1. (C) Summary: The Arab Economic Summit concluded January 20
in Kuwait with a "Declaration" in lieu of a "final
communiqu" after leaders failed to agree on language
regarding the recent hostilities in Gaza. Despite heroic
efforts to paper over differences and Saudi King Abdullah's
open calls for reconciliation, Syrian and Qatari instance on
making reference to the Doha conference and, equally firm
Egyptian, Saudi, and Kuwaiti opposition to such, resulted in
stalemate. Qatar's Amir Hamad departed, reportedly in a
huff, before the closing session and the Saudi delegation
walked out as Bashar Al-Asad offered an impromptu briefing to
political observers, even as the Kuwaiti Amir Sheikh Ahmad
sat waiting on the dais to formally begin the closing
session. Israeli actions in Gaza were widely and predictably
denounced. The Kuwaiti Amir pledged $34 million to UNRWA,
while Saudi King Abdullah pledged USD 1 billion for
reconstruction projects in Gaza. Although the situation in
Gaza dominated the summit's deliberations at the expense of
Arab socio-economic development, Kuwait announced a USD 500
million contribution to a proposed USD 2 billion fund to help
businesses in the Arab world. End summary.
2. (U) The first ever Arab Economic and Social Development
Summit opened in Kuwait January 19. All Arab League
countries participated, with heads of state representing all
nations except for Libya, Oman, Morocco and Somalia, which
were all represented by senior ministers. Senegal's
president participated in his capacity as current chair of
the Organization of the Islamic Conference. Also joining the
22 Arab League nations at the day and a half conference were
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and World Bank President
Robert Zoellick. (Note: The UN and the World Bank took
advantage of the summit to open up their new facilities in
Kuwait. UNSG Ki-moon opened the new UN House and the World
Bank,s Vice President for the Middle East and North Africa
Region opened the World Bank,s office in Kuwait. End Note.)
GAZA DOMINATES
==============
3. (SBU) Kuwaiti Amir Shaykh Sabah al-Ahmad Al Sabah opened
the conference with a fierce critique of Israel,s activities
in Gaza, which he described as &crimes against humanity and
war crimes.8 While most other Arab League leaders offered
similar condemnation of Israel,s Gaza operations, Egyptian
President Hosni Mubarak implied, in his formal remarks, that
Hamas had invited an Israeli attack in December by refusing
to extend the Egyptian-brokered six-month truce agreed to in
mid-2008. Mubarak called on Israel to seriously consider the
2002 Arab peace initiative, while Saudi King Abdullah noted
that Israel should be on notice that the initiative would not
remain on the table forever.
4. (C) The summit opened just days after a display of chronic
disunity among key Arab states regarding the situation in
Gaza. Saudi Arabia and Egypt declined to participate in a
summit in Qatar on January 16, at which Mauritania and Qatar
froze ties with Israel and Syria declared the 2002 Arab peace
initiative to be dead. During the first day of the summit,
King Abdullah and Shaykh Sabah convened a lunch with the
leaders of Egypt, Jordan, Qatar and Syria, in an effort to
reconcile differences over the Gaza clashes. However,
divergent views on Hamas and on the viability of peace with
Israel led Arab leaders to fail to agree on the text of a
resolution regarding the situation in Gaza before the
summit's closing mid-afternoon on January 20.
ADDRESSING UNEMPLOYMENT
=======================
KUWAIT 00000054 002 OF 002
5. (U) The summit's draft resolution is largely focused on
unemployment and poverty reduction. Arab leaders have
designated the years 2010 to 2020 as &the Arab decade for
employment and reducing poverty by half.8 The Arab Labor
Organization and the Arab League Secretariat are tasked with
following up on measures to boost employment in Arab states,
including facilitating labor movement among nations and
supporting private sector initiatives. (Note: the draft
resolution's text is very lean on specific initiatives to
overcome Arab countries, perennial unemployment problems.
End Note.)
6. (U) The GOK announced the formation of a pan-Arab USD 2
billion fund to bolster small and medium-sized businesses
(SMEs). Kuwait pledged USD 500 million to the fund which
will be managed by the Kuwait-based Arab Fund for Economic
and Social Development (an Arab League offshoot established
in 1972). Other development topics discussed at the summit,
and the economic forum that immediately preceded it, included
a pan-Arab customs union, regional power links, regional
railroad networks, food and water security, employment
reduction and other poverty alleviation measures.
7. (C) Comment: The Arab world's first serious effort to
emphasize long-term socio-economic development -- in a region
suffering from massive underemployment and exceedingly low
levels of foreign investment at a time of global financial
crisis -- was overshadowed and undermined by the political
fissures exposed by the ongoing Gaza crisis. While Arab
leaders were largely unified in their condemnation of the
scale of the Israeli military's attacks on Gaza, sharp
divisions remained regarding the role of Hamas in the
Palestinian body politic and the viability of the 2002 Arab
peace initiative. Kuwait's efforts to reconcile all sides
led to some photo opportunities, but they were unable to
bridge the fundamental differences (although the Amir has
garnered praise for salvaging what little he could). Some
observers suggested this very public divergence of views
marks the beginning of the end of the Arab League.
8. (C) The summit also highlighted some of the anger on the
&Kuwaiti street8 with almost half of Kuwait's
Parliamentarians signing a petition demanding that the GOK
ban PA President Abbas from attending the summit and a vocal
minority arguing for inviting the Hamas leadership. Perhaps
surprisingly, given the impact of the global economic crisis
on the financial resources and oil income of the Arab
League's main donor states, these topics (though discussed in
the economic forum) did not rate inclusion in the draft
resolution. End comment.
********************************************* *
For more reporting from Embassy Kuwait, visit:
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/kuwait/?cable s
Visit Kuwait's Classified Website:
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/kuwait/
********************************************* *
JONES
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/20/2019
TAGS: ECON PREL KPAL KU
SUBJECT: ARAB ECONOMIC SUMMIT: ARAB DISUNITY AND GAZA
CLASHES APPARENT UNDER A VENEER OF RECONCILIATION
REF: 09KUWAIT14
Classified By: Ambassador Deborah Jones for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)
1. (C) Summary: The Arab Economic Summit concluded January 20
in Kuwait with a "Declaration" in lieu of a "final
communiqu" after leaders failed to agree on language
regarding the recent hostilities in Gaza. Despite heroic
efforts to paper over differences and Saudi King Abdullah's
open calls for reconciliation, Syrian and Qatari instance on
making reference to the Doha conference and, equally firm
Egyptian, Saudi, and Kuwaiti opposition to such, resulted in
stalemate. Qatar's Amir Hamad departed, reportedly in a
huff, before the closing session and the Saudi delegation
walked out as Bashar Al-Asad offered an impromptu briefing to
political observers, even as the Kuwaiti Amir Sheikh Ahmad
sat waiting on the dais to formally begin the closing
session. Israeli actions in Gaza were widely and predictably
denounced. The Kuwaiti Amir pledged $34 million to UNRWA,
while Saudi King Abdullah pledged USD 1 billion for
reconstruction projects in Gaza. Although the situation in
Gaza dominated the summit's deliberations at the expense of
Arab socio-economic development, Kuwait announced a USD 500
million contribution to a proposed USD 2 billion fund to help
businesses in the Arab world. End summary.
2. (U) The first ever Arab Economic and Social Development
Summit opened in Kuwait January 19. All Arab League
countries participated, with heads of state representing all
nations except for Libya, Oman, Morocco and Somalia, which
were all represented by senior ministers. Senegal's
president participated in his capacity as current chair of
the Organization of the Islamic Conference. Also joining the
22 Arab League nations at the day and a half conference were
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and World Bank President
Robert Zoellick. (Note: The UN and the World Bank took
advantage of the summit to open up their new facilities in
Kuwait. UNSG Ki-moon opened the new UN House and the World
Bank,s Vice President for the Middle East and North Africa
Region opened the World Bank,s office in Kuwait. End Note.)
GAZA DOMINATES
==============
3. (SBU) Kuwaiti Amir Shaykh Sabah al-Ahmad Al Sabah opened
the conference with a fierce critique of Israel,s activities
in Gaza, which he described as &crimes against humanity and
war crimes.8 While most other Arab League leaders offered
similar condemnation of Israel,s Gaza operations, Egyptian
President Hosni Mubarak implied, in his formal remarks, that
Hamas had invited an Israeli attack in December by refusing
to extend the Egyptian-brokered six-month truce agreed to in
mid-2008. Mubarak called on Israel to seriously consider the
2002 Arab peace initiative, while Saudi King Abdullah noted
that Israel should be on notice that the initiative would not
remain on the table forever.
4. (C) The summit opened just days after a display of chronic
disunity among key Arab states regarding the situation in
Gaza. Saudi Arabia and Egypt declined to participate in a
summit in Qatar on January 16, at which Mauritania and Qatar
froze ties with Israel and Syria declared the 2002 Arab peace
initiative to be dead. During the first day of the summit,
King Abdullah and Shaykh Sabah convened a lunch with the
leaders of Egypt, Jordan, Qatar and Syria, in an effort to
reconcile differences over the Gaza clashes. However,
divergent views on Hamas and on the viability of peace with
Israel led Arab leaders to fail to agree on the text of a
resolution regarding the situation in Gaza before the
summit's closing mid-afternoon on January 20.
ADDRESSING UNEMPLOYMENT
=======================
KUWAIT 00000054 002 OF 002
5. (U) The summit's draft resolution is largely focused on
unemployment and poverty reduction. Arab leaders have
designated the years 2010 to 2020 as &the Arab decade for
employment and reducing poverty by half.8 The Arab Labor
Organization and the Arab League Secretariat are tasked with
following up on measures to boost employment in Arab states,
including facilitating labor movement among nations and
supporting private sector initiatives. (Note: the draft
resolution's text is very lean on specific initiatives to
overcome Arab countries, perennial unemployment problems.
End Note.)
6. (U) The GOK announced the formation of a pan-Arab USD 2
billion fund to bolster small and medium-sized businesses
(SMEs). Kuwait pledged USD 500 million to the fund which
will be managed by the Kuwait-based Arab Fund for Economic
and Social Development (an Arab League offshoot established
in 1972). Other development topics discussed at the summit,
and the economic forum that immediately preceded it, included
a pan-Arab customs union, regional power links, regional
railroad networks, food and water security, employment
reduction and other poverty alleviation measures.
7. (C) Comment: The Arab world's first serious effort to
emphasize long-term socio-economic development -- in a region
suffering from massive underemployment and exceedingly low
levels of foreign investment at a time of global financial
crisis -- was overshadowed and undermined by the political
fissures exposed by the ongoing Gaza crisis. While Arab
leaders were largely unified in their condemnation of the
scale of the Israeli military's attacks on Gaza, sharp
divisions remained regarding the role of Hamas in the
Palestinian body politic and the viability of the 2002 Arab
peace initiative. Kuwait's efforts to reconcile all sides
led to some photo opportunities, but they were unable to
bridge the fundamental differences (although the Amir has
garnered praise for salvaging what little he could). Some
observers suggested this very public divergence of views
marks the beginning of the end of the Arab League.
8. (C) The summit also highlighted some of the anger on the
&Kuwaiti street8 with almost half of Kuwait's
Parliamentarians signing a petition demanding that the GOK
ban PA President Abbas from attending the summit and a vocal
minority arguing for inviting the Hamas leadership. Perhaps
surprisingly, given the impact of the global economic crisis
on the financial resources and oil income of the Arab
League's main donor states, these topics (though discussed in
the economic forum) did not rate inclusion in the draft
resolution. End comment.
********************************************* *
For more reporting from Embassy Kuwait, visit:
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/kuwait/?cable s
Visit Kuwait's Classified Website:
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/kuwait/
********************************************* *
JONES