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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 KUALA LUMPUR 000982 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/31/2016 
TAGS: PGOV PREL NACB IS IR MY
SUBJECT: RHETORIC AND PREDICTABILITY MARK NAM MINISTERIAL 
 
REF: KUALA LUMPUR 797 
 
Classified By: Pol/C Thomas F. Daughton for reasons 1.4 (b, d) 
 
¶1. (C) SUMMARY:  On May 30 the Non-Aligned Movement's 
Coordinating Bureau (NAM-CoB) concluded its four-day 
ministerial conference in Malaysia's administrative capital, 
Putrajaya.  The meeting was replete with the customary NAM 
rhetoric, and ended with the body of 116 nations issuing five 
statements, including NAM's position on Iran's nuclear 
ambitions, a declaration on Palestine, a statement on the 
value of human capital to developing nations, a condolence 
statement on the Indonesian earthquake, and a conference 
summary document.  Attendees reported that Singapore was the 
sole country to argue against Iran's unbridled nuclear 
ambitions, but other nations quickly isolated the 
Singaporeans in favor of the finalized text.  End Summary. 
 
Offended Palestinians Go Home 
----------------------------- 
 
¶2. (C) The four-day ministerial meeting of NAM-CoB began and 
ended in controversy.  The shenanigans started on the first 
day when the Hamas foreign minister, Mahmud Al Zahar, walked 
out of the meeting in protest.  The Malaysian government had 
invited both Al Zahar and the rival Fatah faction leader, 
Faruq Qaddumi.  Qaddumi appeared at the opening ministerial 
meeting as the head of the Palestinian delegation, a move 
that infuriated Al Zahar and prompted his departure under 
protest.  Qaddumi later derided his rival as a "trainee" and 
claimed that as the leader of the PLO politburo, he outranked 
any representative of the Palestinian Authority.  In the end, 
both representatives are reported to have left the conference 
early, and there was widespread speculation that Qaddumi left 
after his scheduled visit with Prime Minister Abdullah was 
unexpectedly canceled. 
 
Singing That Ol' North-South Tune 
--------------------------------- 
 
¶3. (U) As host of the conference and current chair of the 
NAM, Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi set the 
tone for the conference in his opening remarks.  He blamed 
northern countries and globalization for the poverty, 
backwardness, disease and ignorance of the "countries of the 
South."  Abdullah lamented that the international war against 
terrorism was not being addressed holistically, but rather in 
"an arbitrary, selective, and cavalier manner."   He derided 
the continued "brutal occupation of Palestinian territories 
by Israel" and blamed Israel for the collapse of the peace 
process.  He also called on the world to engage and accept 
Hamas fully as the choice of the Palestinian people.  On 
Iran, Abdullah's opening remarks foreshadowed the 
conference's final statement, with him declaring that "NAM 
has and will continue to defend the basic and inalienable 
right of all states of the Non Proliferation Treaty to 
develop nuclear technology for peaceful purposes. They should 
be allowed to do so without and discrimination, and in 
conformity with their safeguards agreements as required by 
the NPT.  There should not be any selectivity of double 
standards.  There should only be one set of rules for all." 
 
¶4. (C) In line with Abdullah's opening remarks, the 799 
delegates to the conference spent the next few days 
confirming his statements as positions for the entire 
Movement.  In the end, the conference released a set of 
statements closely following Abdullah's remarks, including a 
position paper on Iran, a declaration of support for 
Palestine and condemnation of Israel, and the Putrajaya 
Declaration highlighting human capital as the key to economic 
development. 
 
¶5. (C) Only the statement on Iran's nuclear program appears 
to have sparked dissent.  In the final version, the ministers 
jointly declared that it is "the basic and inalienable right 
of all states, to develop research, production and use of 
atomic energy for peaceful purposes."  The ministers also 
"recognized the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) as 
 
KUALA LUMP 00000982  002 OF 003 
 
 
the sole, competent authority for verification of the 
respective safeguards obligations of member states," and 
"welcomed the cooperation extended by the Islamic Republic of 
Iran to the IAEA including those voluntary 
confidence-building measures undertaken, with a view to 
resolve the remaining issues."  The statement demanded that 
Israel accede to the NPT and that a nuclear-weapons-free zone 
be established in the Middle East. It further called for a 
comprehensive multilateral negotiated instrument prohibiting 
attack or the threat of attack on nuclear facilities devoted 
to peaceful uses of nuclear energy. 
 
Lonely Fight for the Sings on Iran 
---------------------------------- 
 
¶6. (C) Singaporean diplomatic sources reported in confidence 
that despite protracted negotiations, the NAM statement on 
the Iranian nuclear program (faxed to EAP/MTS and UNVIE) was 
"still terrible" and that Singapore had been "completely 
isolated" in its attempts to soften the language.  Jamaican 
had reportedly initially sought softer language but "gave up 
the fight early," and Singapore said it received practically 
no support from other NAM states.  Singapore entered into 
late night (until 0230 Sunday morning) negotiations with Iran 
on the statement, with the Malaysians mediating.  In the 
process, they succeeded in shortening the 4-page draft 
statement to a page and a half, and were able to insert what 
they viewed as "balancing language" in paragraph four. 
Singapore was still not happy with the text, but said it 
could not continue a "one-man fight."  Singaporean diplomats 
reported that although the final text was unsatisfactory, it 
represented the "only compromise available." 
 
Palestine, Economic Development, Etc., Etc., Etc. 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
 
¶7. (U) The NAM Committee on Palestine convened a separate 
meeting during the NAM-CoB conference and produced its own 
four-page "Declaration on Palestine."  The Committee, 
comprised of Algeria, Colombia, Cuba, Malaysia, Bangladesh, 
India, Indonesia, Palestine, Senegal, South Africa, Zambia 
and Zimbabwe, "expressed their deep concern at the 
intensifying hardships being faced by the Palestinians as a 
result of the financial and political isolation being imposed 
on the Palestinian Authority by some members of the 
international community."  It urged Israel ("the Occupying 
Power") to cease its withholding of tax revenues due to the 
PA.  The Committee's statement also firmly rejected "the 
collective punishment of the Palestinian people for the 
democratic election of their representatives." 
 
¶8. (U) Following Abdullah's national focus on developing 
human capital as the key to achieving developed nation status 
(a concept Abdullah stressed in his Ninth Malaysia Plan, 
reftel), the NAM conference unanimously passed the Putrajaya 
Declaration.  The Declaration stated that "high priority must 
be accorded to human development as a key factor in a 
country's economic development and underscore the importance 
of formulating national policies."  Malaysian Foreign 
Minister Syed Hamid Albar linked human capital development to 
the economic development of NAM members, saying it was key to 
forming strategic partnerships and networks through 
South-South as well as North-South collaboration. 
 
¶9. (C) The conference's 61-page "Final Document" addressed 
topics ranging from global, regional and sub-regional 
political issues to social and human rights issues.  It 
echoed or expanded on many of the issues raised in the 
statements on Iran and Palestine, and called for a 
nuclear-weapons-free zone in the Middle East.  The document 
carefully avoided specific discussion of Iranian nuclear 
interests, but reiterated statements on the right of all NPT 
countries to research, develop and produce nuclear energy. 
It condemned "the categorization of countries as good or evil 
based on unilateral and unjustified criteria, and the 
adoption of pre-emptive attack, including attack by nuclear 
weapons by certain States."  In the document, the ministers 
"expressed their strong rejection of attempts by any Member 
 
KUALA LUMP 00000982  003 OF 003 
 
 
State to use the International Atomic Energy Agency's 
technical co-operation program as a tool for political 
purposes," and encouraged all NAM countries to participate in 
Iran's proposed conference on human rights and cultural 
diversity. 
 
¶10. (U) The document's 20-paragraph statement on terrorism 
urged all states to accede to UN counter-terrorism 
conventions, and generally condemned support for terrorism as 
"the most flagrant violations of international law."  It also 
specified, however, that "terrorism should not be equated 
with the legitimate struggle of peoples under colonial or 
alien domination and foreign occupation for 
self-determination and national liberation." 
 
Afghanistan, Iraq 
----------------- 
 
¶11. (U) On the less rhetorical side, the final document 
recognized the necessity of continued focus on Afghanistan. 
It specifically called for continued economic support for the 
Afghanistan National Development Strategy and for the 
Afghanistan Compact resulting from the London Conference.  In 
the document, the ministers also confirmed their support for 
the new Iraqi government and called on all states to provide 
assistance in meeting Iraq's needs.  They welcomed the 
commitment of the Paris Club to substantially reduce Iraqi 
debts and urged other creditors to do the same. 
 
¶12. (C) COMMENT:  This NAM-CoB ministerial was Malaysia's 
swan-song as NAM chair -- in September, Cuba will assume the 
three-year post.  After what the Malaysian press hastened to 
characterize as a spirited contest, Egypt was designated to 
take the NAM chair in 2009. 
LAFLEUR