MEETING WITH JORGE SAMPAIO ON ALLIANCE OF

C O N F I D E N T I A L LISBON 000266 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/15/2019 TAGS: PREL PHUM UN PO SUBJECT: MEETING WITH JORGE SAMPAIO ON ALLIANCE OF CIVILIZATIONS Classified By: POL/ECON COUNSELOR RICHARD REITER, FOR 1.4B, D. ¶1. (SBU) This is an action request, please see para 5. ¶2. (C) SUMMARY. Former Portuguese President Jorge Sampaio, currently the UN HiRep for the Alliance of Civilizations and the UN Special Envoy against Tuberculosis, met with Ambassador Stephenson at the embassy on May 15. Sampaio gave a readout of last month's AOC Forum in Istanbul and continues to seek greater interaction between the Alliance and the US. Sampaio will be in the US in mid-June and requests meetings in New York and Washington. END SUMMARY. ISTANBUL OUTCOMES -------------- ¶3. (C) President Sampaio reviewed the AOC's Istanbul Forum of April 6-7, noting that there were over 1,000 guests including representatives from many religions, NGOs, and a range of countries -- including participants from Asia, Africa, and Latin America outside the Alliance's traditional bailiwick in the Europe/Middle East region. The AOC concluded MOUs with groupings such as the Commonwealth, francophonie, and the OIC. Sampaio said the event included many seminars, discussions, and side meetings, and he concluded that "the AOC has become a big platform for inclusive dialogue". Decisions were made, he said, for the next Forum to be held in Brazil in May 2010, followed by Qatar in 2011 and Austria in 2012. ¶4. (C) The dilemma now, Sampaio said, is to better organize these Forums to make them more productive and to create concrete follow up projects. He said that 22 nations now have National Strategies on diversity and intercultural dialogue, so channeling these into real activities will be one area of work. Another area is the development of Regional Strategies. Work is now being done to develop three of these: one led by New Zealand will focus on East Asia, another will focus on Latin America in the run-up to the Brazil Forum in 2010, and the third will address the Balkans. ¶5. (C) Sampaio added with a shrug that he had intended to meet President Obama at the reception in Istanbul, but in the protocol confusion he inadvertently found himself on the wrong boat on the Bosporus and missed the event. MEETING REQUESTS -------------- ¶6. (C) Sampaio will be in the US in mid-June and would welcome the opportunity to meet with US officials. He will be in New York during 18-20 June for a Global Business Coalition on HIV, TB, and Malaria event and meetings at the UN, and he has requested a meeting at USUN with Ambassador Rice. He will then be in Washington during June 23-25 and would welcome meetings with Secretary Clinton, with National Security Advisor Jones, and also with Mrs. Obama to discuss tuberculosis issues; he has some flexibility in dates. He also passed us letters for President Obama and General Jones, which we are forwarding to EUR/WE. COMMENT -------------- ¶7. (C) Sampaio understands that the USG is keeping arm's length from the AOC, and he is looking for ways to bridge the differences. "I understand", he stated, "that we need to prove our value added to you." He is eager to find ways to engage with US officials in order to make the case for the AOC. He would welcome, for example, the US sending an observer to the AOC PermReps meeting in New York in June, or participating in any AOC activity even without being a member.. For more reporting from Embassy Lisbon and information about Portugal, please see our Intelink site: http://www.intelink.sgov.gov/wiki/portal:port ugal STEPHENSON