VZCZCXRO1880
PP RUEHBC RUEHDBU RUEHDE RUEHKUK RUEHLH RUEHMOS RUEHPW
DE RUEHJI #0236/01 0851126
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 261126Z MAR 06
FM AMCONSUL JEDDAH
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8950
INFO RUEHZM/GULF COOPERATION COUNCIL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUCNISL/ISLAMIC COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON PRIORITY 1320
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS PRIORITY 1392
RUEHRH/AMEMBASSY RIYADH PRIORITY 6302
RUEHTV/AMEMBASSY TEL AVIV PRIORITY 4492
RUEHJM/AMCONSUL JERUSALEM PRIORITY 2701
RUCNDTA/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 0015

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 JEDDAH 000236 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
RIYADH, PLEASE PASS TO DHAHRAN; DEPARTMENT OF NEA/ARPI, 
NEA/IPA; PARIS FOR ZEYA; LONDON FOR TSOU 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/26/2015 
TAGS: ETTC IS KBCT KISL KPAL PREL SA
SUBJECT: OIC DISMISSES RECENT BOYCOTT OF ISRAEL MEETING AS 
ROUTINE 
 
REF: A. E-MAILS: MILLS/CHOVAN 3-8-06 
 
     ¶B. MILLS/CHOVAN 3-25-06 
 
Classified By: Consul General Tatiana Gfoeller, for reasons 
1.4 9b) and (d). 
 
¶1.  (C)  SUMMARY;  The Organization of the Islamic Conference 
(OIC) insisted in a March 25 meeting with Consulate staff 
that the recent session of the Israel Boycott Office was a 
routine annual event, sponsored solely by the OIC and that no 
significant recommendations resulted.  No list of 
representatives or minutes of the meeting have been released. 
 OIC officials agreed to present the Consulate's ongoing 
request for information concerning the meeting to the OIC 
Secretary General.  In regards to Palestinian affairs, the 
 
SIPDIS 
Palestinian Ambassador to OIC stated that HAMAS would be able 
to take the reins of government, although it may not be 
readily accepted by some foreign powers.  He also expressed 
the hope that the realities of governing will moderate HAMAS 
policies.  The Ambassador emphasized that Palestinian hopes 
for peace have been consistently frustrated, frequently as a 
result of Israeli actions, and pleaded for U.S. and Quartet 
pressure on Israel, before the Palestinian population looses 
faith in the Abbas government. 
 
BACKGROUND:  OIC BOYCOTT OFFICE MEETING 
 
¶2.  (C) Between March 13-14, 2006 the Organization of the 
Islamic Conference (OIC) held the Ninth Meeting of the 
Liaison Officers of Islamic Regional Offices for the Boycott 
of Israel in Jeddah.    In a preliminary telephone contact on 
March 8, Ambassador Salem el-Honi, Director of the Islamic 
boycott Office of the OIC, assured Pol/Econ Chief that the 
meeting was a routine, yearly meeting of the Committee in 
compliance with a directive of the Council of Ministers 
Meeting of the OIC dating to 1996.  He stated several times 
that the meeting was not sponsored by Saudi Arabia.  It was 
being held in Jeddah only because it is the site of the OIC 
headquarters.  Prior to the meeting, Ambassador el-Honi 
refused to say who would or would not send representatives to 
the Conference, or if minutes or recommendations of the 
meeting would be available to the public. 
 
NO INFORMATION SUPPLIED AFTER THE MEETING 
 
¶3.  (C) News of this meeting aroused media attention and 
raised Congressional concern about Saudi Arabia's commitment 
to its obligations under the WTO.  Consulate General Jeddah 
was requested to contact OIC officials and confirm 
sponsorship and determine participation in the meeting, its 
agenda, and decisions or recommendations emanating from the 
meeting (refs).  Subsequent attempts to contact Ambassador 
el-Honi concerning the Conference were unavailing.  Consulate 
was ultimately informed that Ambassador el-Honi went on leave 
after the conclusion of the meeting.  (Note:  He apparently 
left immediately after the end of the meeting, because 
repeated inquiries on the afternoon of the last day of the 
conference and the following day were all rebuffed with the 
rely that the Ambassador was not in his office.  End note.) 
Efforts by staff of Consulate General Public Diplomacy 
Section to obtain information from the Press Office of the 
OIC were similarly unsuccessful.  In response to repeated 
requests, OIC finally agreed to a meeting between Jeddah 
Pol/Econ officers and OIC officials on Saturday March 25. 
 
OIC OFFICIALS, BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES 
 
¶4.  (C)  On the morning of March 25, Jeddah Pol/Econ Chief 
and Congenoff met with Ambassador Samir Baker, Assistant 
Secretary General Director of Coordinator with Palestine 
 
SIPDIS 
(sic).  Ambassador Baker assumed this post approximately 2 
months ago, after serving for 21 years as Palestinian 
representative in Nigeria.  Also present was Yahaya Lawal, 
Director of Political Affairs, OIC.  Mr. Lawal is a Nigerian 
diplomat from Kano.  He has held his position for more than a 
year and expects to serve at the OIC for several more years. 
The two men spoke excellent English, were very cordial and 
expressed a willingness to maintain contacts with the 
Consulate in the future. 
 
BOYCOTT MEETING ROUTINE AND UNEVENTFUL 
 
JEDDAH 00000236  002 OF 003 
 
 
 
¶5.  (C)  Baker stated that he did not participate in the 
Boycott Office meetings.  Not being present, he claimed to be 
unable to say who had actually attended the meeting, what the 
agenda had been or summarize the results.  However, repeating 
what Ambassador el-Honi had said earlier, Baker stated 
several times that the meeting of the OIC Israel Boycott 
commission was simply a routine, OIC-managed, annual session 
affirming the OIC's stance toward Israel.  He emphasized that 
there was nothing unusual about the event and that it simply 
confirmed previous resolutions that were adopted by the OIC 
at a 1996 ministerial conference.  He said that 20 OIC member 
countries, as well as the Arab League, were represented on 
the Boycott Committee, but he professed to be unable to say 
what countries attended the recent meeting.  Nevertheless, he 
felt capable of assuring Conoff that no new initiatives were 
passed by the Commttee. 
 
BOYCOTT OFFICE COMMITTED TO PEACE PROCESS 
 
¶6.  (C)  He continued by stating that the Boycot Office tied 
this year's annual meeting to the pace process.  Baker 
specifically mentioned contiuing OIC support for the Saudi 
initiative ageed to in Beirut in 2002 that promised Arab 
recognition of Israel in exchange for a complete withdrawal 
to the pre-1967 borders.  Baker said:  "No new positions were 
taken.  Though some Arab countries have relations with 
Israel, we link this issue to the complete resolution of the 
Middle East problem.  Either the full implementation of the 
"Road Map" or the Israeli withdrawal from the areas occupied 
in 1967.  If this is achieved, we will review this (the 
boycott)." 
 
REQUEST FOR INFORMATION TO BE FORWARDED TO OIC SECRETARY 
GENERAL 
 
¶7.  (C)  Conoffs cautioned the Ambassador that some members 
of Congress were concerned by news reports about this event, 
and that providing complete and timely information on what 
had transpired could prevent misunderstandings in Congress. 
Conoffs requested a list of attendees, the meeting agenda and 
a record of statements or decisions made by the Committee. 
Ambassador Baker said he would speak to the Secretary General 
and to Ambassador el-Honi to see if they could provide the 
requested information.  Subsequently, the Consulate General 
added a request for a list of the standing members of the 
Boycott Committee. 
 
PALESTINIAN DISENCHANTMENT FOLLOWING OSLO 
 
¶8.  (C)  Ambassador Baker also discussed the situation in the 
Palestinian Territories since the death of Yasser Arafat.  On 
the subject of HAMAS' recent victory in the Palestinian 
legislative elections, Baker, undoubtedly a Fatah stalwart 
given his long tenure as a Palestinian envoy, said:  "HAMAS 
will not have a problem organizing the internal affairs of 
the Palestinian people.  We have to respect the decision of 
the Palestinian people."  He noted that problems may arise 
involving the new HAMAS government's external relations, i.e. 
with the West.  Baker believed that President Mahmoud Abbas 
could serve as a bridge between the Palestinian Authority 
(including the HAMAS government) and other parties.  "We hope 
that HAMAS will realize now that they are in power, that they 
cannot take the same extreme positions as when they were in 
the opposition," said Baker.  "Hopefully, they can be more 
realistic." 
 
¶9.  (C)  Baker noted that though the Palestinians were 
promised a state within five years of the Oslo Accords, this 
never developed, a fact he attributed, at least in part, to 
the assassination of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzak Rabin.  He 
linked the second Intifada to the Palestinian's perception of 
a lack of subsequent progress in the peace process.  He added 
that President Bush's "Road Map" calling for a Palestinian 
state briefly infused the situation with a measure of hope, 
but that this initiative was not implemented according to the 
original timetable, leading to the present situation.  Baker 
said that Israel's ongoing construction of the security wall 
had isolated the West Bank and East Jerusalem and deprived 
the Palestinians of vital water resources.  These moves, 
combined with continuing Israeli attacks on civilians, have 
 
JEDDAH 00000236  003 OF 003 
 
 
convinced Palestinians that Israelis are not serious about 
peace.  In contrast to Israel's obstructionism, he noted 
that:  "Even HAMAS stopped attacks both before and after the 
elections.  This (situation) needs the intervention of the 
U.S. in particular and the Quartet to ensure peace.  This 
should be done after the Israeli elections."  Baker stressed 
that Abbas' credibility with the Palestinian public would 
only last as longas he can deliver on his "promises." 
Gfoeller