OMANI FOREIGN MINISTER PREVIEWS PROPOSED ARAB LEAGUE

C O N F I D E N T I A L MUSCAT 000037 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 2019-01-14 TAGS: PREL KWBG ECON MU SUBJECT: OMANI FOREIGN MINISTER PREVIEWS PROPOSED ARAB LEAGUE "SUMMIT" ON GAZA REF: a) STATE 03120 CLASSIFIED BY: Gary A. Grappo, Ambassador, U.S. Department of State, U.S. Embassy - Muscat; REASON: 1.4(B),(D) ¶1. (C) The Ambassador delivered reftel demarche January 14 to Omani Minister Responsible for Foreign Affairs Yusef bin Alawi. The Minister explained that the proposed emergency Arab League (AL) meeting in Kuwait was not meant to undermine Egyptian efforts to negotiate a ceasefire in Gaza, but rather to "acknowledge and absorb" the attitudes of the Arab street. He shared that organizers hoped for a full-scale summit with delegations led by heads of state, rather than a ministerial meeting. The participation of 15 Arab countries would be needed for a quorum but, so far, Oman and 13 other states had agreed to attend. According to bin Alawi, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and the UAE had not accepted the invitation; he was unsure of Bahrain and Jordan. Even if the January 16 event is a summit, Oman would be represented by someone (NFI) other than Sultan Qaboos. ¶2. (C) Bin Alawi stated that Arab leaders were coming under increasing criticism from their publics for their perceived inaction on the Gaza crisis and that the proposed January 16 event would accordingly help them appear proactive. He emphasized that Oman and other, though not necessarily all, Arab countries supported Egyptian mediation attempts, but commented that Egypt was not talking to "all the factions" of Hamas (NFI). Other Arab states in attendance at the proposed high-level meeting could possibly help by reaching out to groups so far excluded in the Egyptian-sponsored talks. ¶3. (C) Asked about the projected outcome of an AL meeting on Gaza, the Minister said that a final communiquC) would call for: an immediate ceasefire, the lifting of the "blockade" of Gaza, and action to implement all aspects of UN Security Council Resolution ¶1860. It would also contain a statement encouraging reconciliation between Palestinian factions and announce the creation of an Arab reconstruction fund for Gaza. None of this, he remarked, would conflict with what Egypt was trying to achieve. ¶4. (C) Bin Alawi opined that Palestinian President Abu Mazen, who he understood would attend the January 16 meeting, was "extremely weak" after failing to secure deliverables in his negotiations with Israel and was seen as "illegitimate" in Gaza. He added that any workable resolution to the Gaza crisis would likely "give something" to Hamas which could, in turn, result in gains for the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt at the expense of Egyptian President Mubarak. ¶5. (C) Turning to the Arab Economic Summit, bin Alawi said he agreed with, and that Arab leaders would likely not stray from, the U.S. position. He believed that the Summit may "open up" Arab government development funds to the private sector, including Iraqi firms. Kuwait, for example, was considering making $300 million from the Kuwait Fund available to Arab businesses. Omani Deputy Prime Minister Sayyid Fahd bin Mahmud al-Sa'id would lead the Omani delegation to the January 19-20 Summit in Kuwait. GRAPPO To view the entire SMART message, go to URL http://repository.state.sgov.gov/_layouts/OSS SearchResults.aspx?k=messageid:2d429a5d-beb0- 4e19-a165-87afba6c1979