LIBYA WILL NOT OPPOSE LETTERS TO IRAN, SYRIA; WILL CONTINUE

UNCLAS TRIPOLI 000361 SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPT FOR IO/PSC (HVONBEHREN) AND NEA/MAG (AJOHNSON) E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL UNSC IR CY SY LY SUBJECT: LIBYA WILL NOT OPPOSE LETTERS TO IRAN, SYRIA; WILL CONTINUE TO OPPOSE NOTE VERBALE REF: STATE 43057 ¶1. (SBU) Ambassador, after coordinating with the French ambassador (UK COM was out with Tony Blair all day),raised reftel points with Mohammed Siala, Secretary for Arab Affairs of the General People's Committee for Foreign Liaison and International Cooperation (MFA-equivalent) on April 30. Siala told the Ambassador that he was running the International Organizations branch of MFA while FM Musa Kusa was in Doha and IO Director Mahdi al-Majrabi was in Cuba, but that he was not familiar with the Monchegorsk incident. After studying the points provided by Ambassador and consulting with colleagues over P-3 demarche, Siala informed the Ambassador that Libya would not oppose sending letters to both Syria and Iran. The GOL will continue to oppose issuing a Note Verbale to all UN Member states, however, citing both lack of precedent and that there were "quieter ways" to send the same message. Siala said this position had been conveyed to UNPermrep Shalgham. CRETZ