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Viewing cable 07CAIRO2680, ARAB LEAGUE AGAINST PERMANENT OBSERVER STATUS FOR

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Reference ID Created Released Classification Origin
07CAIRO2680 2007-08-30 12:12 2011-08-24 16:30 UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY Embassy Cairo
VZCZCXRO4366
RR RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHKUK RUEHROV RUEHTRO
DE RUEHEG #2680 2421212
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 301212Z AUG 07
FM AMEMBASSY CAIRO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 6721
INFO RUCNSOM/SOMALIA COLLECTIVE
RUEHEE/ARAB LEAGUE COLLECTIVE
UNCLAS CAIRO 002680 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
AF/E FOR GAREY 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV EG SO
SUBJECT: ARAB LEAGUE AGAINST PERMANENT OBSERVER STATUS FOR 
CANADA AND YEMEN IN SOMALIA CONTACT GROUP 
 
REF: SECSTATE 111993 
 
Sensitive but unclassified, please protect accordingly. 
 
1. (SBU) Poloff discussed reftel demarche with Samir Hosni, 
head of the Arab League Office of African Affairs, on August 
30.  Drawing from reftel, poloff argued that including Canada 
and Yemen as Permanent Observers to the International Contact 
Group on Somalia (ICG) would increase the ICG's ability to 
develop a coordinated, international policy on Somalia and 
better engage with the parties to the conflict.  Hosni was 
surprised that poloff raised the issue, saying he thought 
that "the matter was closed" (in other words, the issue would 
not be raised again), in accordance with the British position 
at the last ICG meeting against including new Permanent 
Observers.  Hosni argued that Egypt, South Africa, and the 
OIC are also playing important roles in resolving the Somali 
conflict, and that they must also be granted Permanent 
Observer status in order for the League to support granting 
that status to Canada and Yemen.  However, he said, the 
League would prefer not to re-open discussion of adding new 
Permanent Observers at all, and continue the practice of the 
host country inviting observers to ICG meetings as the host 
sees fit. 
 
2. (SBU) Hosni also gave poloff a preview of a draft 
resolution on Somalia, to be discussed at the upcoming 
September 4 Arab League Ministerial in Cairo.  The 
resolution, he said, would reaffirm League support for the 
Somali National Reconciliation Conference (NRC), call on 
member states to further fund the NRC, and call for the NRC 
to be "all inclusive."  Asked whether the League supports 
including the disbanded Union of Islamic Courts (UIC) as a 
specific group in the reconciliation process, Hosni replied 
only that the League is calling on all parties to engage in 
the political process "without preconditions." 
RICCIARDONE