AMBASSADOR RICE MEETS WITH SAUDI ARABIAN PERM REP

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 USUN NEW YORK 000219

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/05/2019
TAGS: PREL UNSC XF ZP
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR RICE MEETS WITH SAUDI ARABIAN PERM REP
AL NAFISEE

Classified By: Ambassador Rice, For Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (C) Summary: During their introductory meeting on March
3, Ambassador Rice and Saudi PermRep Khalid Al-Nafisee
discussed Saudi Arabia's progress on the Interfaith Dialogue,
the Lebanon Tribunal and Gaza, recognition of Kosovo, and
relations with Iraq and Iran. Al-Nafisee was keen to
emphasize Saudi King Abdullah's commitment to the Interfaith
Dialogue, and he asked for USG support for the intiative,
which appears to be Saudi Arabia's priority at the UN.

Interfaith Dialogue


2. (C) Al-Nafisee said King Abdullah's focus on his
Interfaith Dialogue, which was the subject of a General
Assembly session in November 2008, was the impetus for
Al-Nafisee's appointment as Permanent Representative and
ended a two-year gap where Saudi Arabia had no PermRep in New
York. Al-Nafisee said he received a "direct order" from the
King to promote the Interfaith Dialogue. He plans frequently
to invite other Ambassadors to take part in small meetings of
roughly 15 PermReps plus a religious leader (or a person of
no faith) to begin building relationships within the
diplomatic corps. King Abdullah's goals for the Interfaith
Dialogue are similar to the ideas of the Alliance of
Civilizations, and he said Saudi Arabia would take part in
the upcoming conference in Turkey of the Alliance of
Civilizations. While the UN Secretary General is supportive
of the Interfaith Dialogue as are many other UN member
states, he said some countries such as France and Spain and
some Muslim nations (although he did not highlight which
ones) are opposed to the project because they do not want the
UN involved in religious issues.

Gaza and the Lebanon Tribunal


3. (C) Ambassador Rice thanked Al-Nafisee for Saudi Arabia's
leadership at the donors' conference convened in Sharm El
Sheikh on May 2. She said supporting the Palestinian
Authority is crucial, and the USG wants to make certain that
the resources pledged are not diverted to Hamas. Al-Nafisee
said he was pleased his government was channeling resources
to the Palestinian people, and he agreed that donors need to
be vigilant. Ambassador Rice also thanked Al-Nafisee for the
Kingdom's support to the Special Tribunal for Lebanon.
Al-Nafisee said that despite political progress the recent
death of a follower of Lebanese Druze leader Walid Jumblatt
was evidence that political instability was continuing.
(Comment: This likely refers to the mid-February stabbing
death of Lufti Zeineddin, a high-profile follower of
Jumblatt. Jumblatt blames Hizballah for the attack. End
comment.)

Kosovo


4. (C) Ambassador Rice asked Al-Nafisee if he had met with
Kosovo's President during his recent trip to New York, noting
that the President is keen to receive diplomatic recognition
from Saudi Arabia. Al-Nafisee said he had met with the
President, and he acknowledged Kosovo's desire for Saudi
Arabia's recognition, which Kosovo's President judges would
influence other Muslim countries to grant diplomatic
recognition as well. He said the Kingdom was a strong
supporter of Kosovo during the Balkan conflict, and without
committing, said diplomatic recognition was probable in the
near future.

Iran and Iraq


5. (C) Ambassador Rice noted Saudi Arabia's reluctance to
send an Ambassador to Baghdad. Al-Nafisee said King Abdullah
feels that Iraqi President Maliki has "let him down" by
turning toward Iran. Al-Nafisee said Saudi Arabia is
demanding that Iraq be tougher on Iranian forces and
influence. Ambassador Rice replied that Saudi Arabia should
give Maliki some credit for making the tough decision to go
against the Mahdi Army and other Iranian-backed groups.


6. (C) Al-Nafisee said he is "very worried" about Iran
because it is both strong and unpredictable. He said from
time to time Iranian officials claim sovereignty over Bahrain
and Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province, which is home to the
majority of Saudi Arabia's Shia population. Regarding
deterrence on Iran's nuclear program, Al-Nafisee said he was
more worried about Israel than the U.S., since Israel no
longer had a rational, strategic vision as it did, for
instance, during the 1967 War. Now, he said, Israel strikes
out over the smallest provocation with long-term implications
for the region. Ambassador Rice said the review of U.S.

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policy toward Iran would take account of the views of
regional allies such as Saudi Arabia.

Bio Note


7. (C) During their first meeting, Al-Nafisee was personable
and in fluent English showed a good sense of humor in
describing his newness to the diplomatic corps and his
experience as an engineer with Saudi Aramco--the state-owned
oil and gas company. He joked, "As a trained engineer I look
for results. Here (at the UN) there ain't no results."
Al-Nafisee said U.S.-Saudi relations have a long history, and
he acknowledged that September 11 was meant as a test for the
relationship, but bin Laden's goal of creating a rift between
the countries "did not work."
Rice