VZCZCXRO6249
PP RUEHDE RUEHTRO
DE RUEHC #1591/01 2211753
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 091747Z AUG 07
FM SECSTATE WASHDC
TO RUEHMS/AMEMBASSY MUSCAT PRIORITY 9365
RUEHTV/AMEMBASSY TEL AVIV PRIORITY 0844
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO PRIORITY 9858
RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL PRIORITY 4364
RUEHAM/AMEMBASSY AMMAN PRIORITY 0293
RUEHTC/AMEMBASSY THE HAGUE PRIORITY 9246
RUEHDO/AMEMBASSY DOHA PRIORITY 7962
RUEHJM/AMCONSUL JERUSALEM PRIORITY 0361
INFO RUEHRO/AMEMBASSY ROME PRIORITY 2328
RUEHMD/AMEMBASSY MADRID PRIORITY 6452
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON PRIORITY 0798
RUEHAD/AMEMBASSY ABU DHABI PRIORITY 8517
RUEHTRO/AMEMBASSY TRIPOLI PRIORITY 5004
RUEHDE/AMCONSUL DUBAI PRIORITY 6694

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 STATE 111591 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL SENV XF MU IS JO KS KWBG JA NL QA
SUBJECT: MIDDLE EAST MULTILATERAL WORKING GROUP ON WATER 
         RESOURCES: EXECUTIVE COUNCIL MEETING OF THE 
         MIDDLE EAST DESALINATION RESEARCH CENTER, 
         JULY 11, 2007 
 
¶1.  (U) This cable is Sensitive but Unclassified.  Please 
handle accordingly. 
 
------------------------ 
Summary and Introduction 
------------------------ 
 
¶2.  (U) The Executive Council (ExCouns) of the Middle East 
Desalination Research Center (MEDRC) held its twentieth 
meeting in Salalah, Oman, July 11, 2007.  MEDRC, which was 
established by the Middle East peace process Multilateral 
Working Group on Water Resources, has its headquarters in 
Muscat, Oman, and has been operating continuously since early 
¶1997.  Representatives of the U.S., Israel, Oman, Jordan, the 
Palestinian Authority, Japan, Korea, the Netherlands, and 
Qatar (which joined with this meeting) constitute MEDRC's 
Executive Council.  MEDRC's activities are open to experts 
and officials from throughout the Middle East and other parts 
of the world. 
 
¶3.  (U) In their opening remarks, both ExCouns Chairman 
Sayyid Badr and MEDRC Director Quteishat expressed great 
pleasure in welcoming the Government of Qatar to the Council 
as MEDRC's newest member.  The ExCouns reviewed the status of 
ongoing activities, fundraising activities, and MEDRC 
finances.  Quteishat reported that discussions with several 
potential new member governments continue.  End Summary and 
Introduction. 
 
------------ 
Participants 
------------ 
 
¶4.  (U) The following officials participated in the December 
12 ExCouns meeting:  for Oman, Amb. Sayyid Badr, ExCouns 
Chairman and Omani MFA Under Secretary, and Mr. Humaid 
Al-Maani, Omani MFA; for the U.S., Dr. Charles Lawson, 
ExCouns Vice Chairman and NEA Senior Advisor for Science and 
Technology; for Israel, Mr. Yaacov Keidar, Multilateral 
Coordinator, Israeli MFA, Mr. Daniel Nevo, Israeli MFA (and 
Keidar's successor), and Dr. Uri Shani, Israeli Technical 
Representative and Director of the Israel National Water and 
Sewage Authority; for Japan, Mr. Hideo Sato, Director, First 
Middle East Division, Japanese MFA; for Korea, Mr. Sang-Wook 
Kim, Korean MFA; Mr. Jung-Soo Kim, Korean Embassy Muscat; for 
Jordan, Mr. Fayez Bataineh, Assistant Secretary General, 
Jordan Valley Authority; for The Netherlands, Baroness 
Henriette van Lynden, Director, North Africa and Middle East 
Department, Dutch MFA; and, for Qatar, Mr. Fahad Hamad Al 
Mohannadi, General Manager, Qatar Electricity and Water 
Company.  Palestinian Water Authority Director Fadel Ka'awash 
could not attend the meeting due to a scheduling conflict. 
MEDRC Director Koussai Quteishat also participated in the 
meeting. 
 
----------------------- 
Qatar Welcomed to MEDRC 
----------------------- 
 
¶5.  (U) At the opening of the meeting, ExCouns Chairman 
Sayyid Badr and MEDRC Director Quteishat recognized the 
Qatari ExCouns representative and welcomed the Government of 
Qatar as the newest MEDRC member (Note: Qatar expressed 
interest in joining MEDRC in 2006 and finalized all 
arrangements, including depositing its $3 million 
contribution in the MEDRC account, shortly before the July 
meeting.  End note.)  Both also noted that MEDRC needed to 
continue to expand membership in order to ensure its 
sustainability. 
 
---------------------------- 
Status of Ongoing Activities 
 
STATE 00111591  002 OF 002 
 
 
¶6.  (U) Since the December 2006 ExCouns meeting, MEDRC issued 
its 2007 Request for Proposals for research projects and has 
so far received five pre-proposals.  The total number of 
MEDRC projects awarded since MEDRC began operations now 
stands at 61, 33 of which have been completed.  MEDRC's 
scholarship program continues to expand, with each of the 
five new projects that started in 2006 including a Masters or 
Ph.D. student.  To date, MEDRC has supported 10 Masters and 
15 Ph.D. students.  Demand for MEDRC sponsored training 
courses also continues to increase.  Since the December 2006 
ExCouns meeting, MEDRC sponsored five training courses, one 
each in Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, Jordan and Oman.  Since the 
training program began in September 2003, MEDRC has organized 
29 training courses, with 994 experts from the region having 
participated.  Quteishat noted that the training course in 
Libya, which took place in February 2007, and was 
co-sponsored by the Libyan Petroleum Institute, was the first 
MEDRC activity to take place in Libya. 
 
¶7.  (U) Quteishat reported that MEDRC has developed the 
curriculum for an MSc program in desalination in Tunisia and 
helped the Water Research Center at Sultan Qaboos University 
in Oman develop MSc and PhD programs in desalination. 
Quteishat also reported that construction of MEDRC's in-house 
research facility continues apace, with completion scheduled 
by the end of 2007. 
 
----------- 
Fundraising 
----------- 
 
¶8.  (SBU) Quteishat reported that MEDRC continues to pursue 
additional governments to join (and contribute to) MEDRC. 
With Qatar now a member, Quteishat noted that MEDRC would 
renew discussions with the UAE.  (Note: During initial 
discussions about a year and a half ago, UAE MFA Under 
Secretary Sheikh Abdul Rashid Alnuaimi expressed interest in 
 
SIPDIS 
UAE joining MEDRC.  However, ExCouns Chairman Sayyid Badr 
decided to wait until Qatari membership was finalized before 
following up with the UAE.  End note.)  Discussions also 
continue at various stages with Italy, Germany, Spain, the 
UK, and Australia.  Quteishat said he believes Germany is 
close to agreeing to join. 
 
---------------- 
Financial Update 
---------------- 
 
¶9.  (SBU) In reviewing MEDRC's financial situation, Quteishat 
emphasized that MEDRC's financial situation remains serious. 
Even with Qatar now having contributed $3 million, Quteishat 
urged other members to make additional contributions to help 
ensure MEDRC's future.  Oman, the U.S., the Netherlands, and 
Korea agreed to make additional contributions before the end 
of the year.  Japan and Israel noted that they would have to 
look into the possibility. 
 
-------- 
Comments 
-------- 
 
¶10. (SBU) Qatar joining MEDRC represents a breakthrough, in 
that it is the first Gulf country to join since Oman signed 
on as a founding member in 1996.  Qatar's contribution to 
MEDRC, along with contributions from some current ExCouns 
member governments in 2007, will help ease MEDRC's financial 
crunch in the short term.  For the longer term, however, a 
steady stream of new contributions - either from existing 
members or from new members joining - will be needed to 
assure MEDRC's sustained existence. 
 
¶11. (U) Tripoli minimize considered. 
RICE