CONGRATULATORY LETTER TO PRESIDENT OBAMA FROM THE

UNCLAS RABAT 000118

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR NEA/MAG AND IO/UNESCO

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: AORC SOCI KISL UNESCO OIC MO
SUBJECT: CONGRATULATORY LETTER TO PRESIDENT OBAMA FROM THE
ISLAMIC EDUCATIONAL, SCIENTIFIC AND CULTURAL ORGANIZATION
(ISESCO)


1. Summary and introduction: The Islamic Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO) Director
General, Dr. Abdulaziz Othman Altwaijri, has sent a letter of
congratulations to President Obama. The January 23, 2009
letter praised President Obama's commitment to engage the
Islamic World with mutual interest and respect. In response,
ISESCO offers to work to translate this concept into
"concrete action." ISESCO, headquartered in Rabat, is a
quasi-independent sub-entity of the Organization of the
Islamic Conference (OIC). ISESCO has a role in promoting
education and culture similar to UNESCO, with a mandate to
assist curriculum development and educational programs
throughout the Islamic world, and may merit USG engagement.
The original of the letter has been scanned and sent to
Department (NEA/MAG). End Summary.


2. BEGIN TEXT (Original in English):

Allow me Mr. President to sincerely congratulate you on your
investiture as President of the United States of America,
which shoulders a great responsibility for keeping world
peace and security, preserving democratic values and public
liberties, and administrating justice, in accordance with
international legality.

By virtue of your distinguished record, your ambition, your
probity and your eagerness for constructive change, you have
not only fulfilled a dream cherished by millions of American
citizens but also earned the admiration and respect of
millions of people around the world.

We at the Islamic Education, Scientific and Cultural
Organization (ISESCO),which includes fifty States of the
Islamic world and has fruitful cooperation relationships with
tens of international and regional organizations, greet your
investiture with great optimism and wish you every success in
your lofty missions in addressing acute problems and tough
challenges that befall today,s world. These include wars,
aggression on peoples, rights and dignity, economic
recession, poverty and other scourges that require concerted
and continuous global action to find a remedy thereto.

Mr. President, in your inaugural speech, you have pointed out
your willingness to &seek new way forward8 with the Islamic
world, &based on mutual interest and mutual respect8. We
wholeheartedly subscribe to this highly commendable gesture
and will contribute all our potentials and expertise to set
it into motion.

Therefore, I hereby confirm to Your Excellency that ISESCO,
within its competence and through its network of special
relations with its Member States as well as with
international and regional organizations, is keen to pursue
its efforts to translate this constructive move into concrete
action.

Please accept, Mr. President, the assurance of my highest
consideration.

/s/
Dr. Abdulaziz Othman Altwaijri
Director General

END TEXT.


3. Scanned original sent to NEA/MAG.


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Visit Embassy Rabat's Classified Website;
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/rabat
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Jackson