VZCZCXRO0417
OO RUEHBC RUEHDA RUEHDE RUEHGI RUEHIHL RUEHJS RUEHKUK RUEHLH RUEHPW
RUEHROV RUEHTRO
DE RUEHC #0672/01 0600049
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 290045Z FEB 08
FM SECSTATE WASHDC
TO ISLAMIC COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE
RUEHTRO/AMEMBASSY TRIPOLI IMMEDIATE 8879
RUEHIHL/REO HILLAH IMMEDIATE 0514

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 STATE 020672 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OIC PREL
SUBJECT: DEMARCHE: ANNOUNCING THE U.S. SPECIAL ENVOY TO 
THE OIC 
 
 
¶1.  (U)  This is an action request.  See Para. 2. 
 
¶2.  (U) Department requests OIC posts notify host governments 
that the President has appointed Sada Cumber to be the U.S. 
Special Envoy to the Organization of Islamic Conference 
(OIC).  Post should draw from the Envoy's official biography 
and the press guidance below.  The Envoy,s official 
biography, along with an official photograph, are posted on 
State.gov (search keyword: Sada Cumber).  Posts are also 
encouraged to announce this appointment to the public and 
local media.  End action request. 
 
¶3.  (U)  Sada Cumber Biography: 
 
Sada Cumber will assume his duties as Special Envoy to the 
Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) on March 3, 
¶2008.  As Special Envoy, Mr. Cumber will serve as our 
representative to the OIC, and will seek to promote mutual 
understanding and dialogue between the United States and 
Muslim communities around the world. 
Prior to his appointment, Mr. Cumber was an entrepreneur and 
investor based in Austin, Texas.  Mr. Cumber,s business 
background is in senior management, marketing, and imaging 
technology.  As an entrepreneur, Mr. Cumber has specialized 
in national and global network strategy, strategic marketing, 
business planning and institution building. 
Mr. Cumber has founded eleven companies in technology-based 
industries, including Texas Global, an international 
strategic advising firm, and CACH Capital Management, an 
investment advisory and wealth management firm.   Prior to 
his appointment as Special Envoy, Mr. Cumber also served as 
Chairman of the Board of TCMS-LLC, an intellectual property 
development company, and as Chairman of Sozotek Inc., an 
imaging technology company.   Mr. Cumber has also served on 
numerous corporate boards and served as a speaker at the 
meetings of several national and international organizations, 
on topics including the ethics of persuasion, 
entrepreneurship and governance. 
 
Mr. Cumber has been active in the public sphere, serving on 
the boards of various Texas-based and international 
organizations, including the Board of Directors of the Texas 
Economic Development Board (a $300 million fund), the Texas 
Emerging Technology Fund (a $200 million fund), the 15th 
World Congress on Information Technology, the Texas Business 
Council and the Governor,s Task Force on Higher Education. 
Mr. Cumber has also been active in civic organizations, 
advisory councils, and charitable foundations.  Until 
recently, Mr. Cumber also served as the Honorary Consul of 
the Republic of Malta in Austin. 
 
Mr. Cumber is committed to using his multicultural background 
and extensive business, social, and political skills to 
promote cooperation across cultures, in support of 
international economic development, and to help advance 
meaningful dialogue among the world,s religious communities. 
 He has served on the board of directors for the Texas 
Foundation of Religious Studies and the Advisory Council for 
the College of Fine Arts at the University of Texas. 
Mr. Cumber was born in Karachi, Pakistan in 1951.  He holds a 
Bachelor,s Degree in Commerce and a Master,s Degree in 
History, both from the University of Karachi. Mr. Cumber came 
to the United States in 1978 and has been an American citizen 
since 1986. 
Mr. Cumber and his wife, Mumtaz, maintain their permanent 
residence in Austin, Texas.   They have two children. 
¶4.  (U)  Press Guidance 
 
Q:  On February 27 the President announced that the 
first-ever Special Envoy to the Organization of the Islamic 
Conference (OIC) would be Austin, Texas-based entrepreneur 
Mr. Sada Cumber.  What can you tell us about this 
announcement? 
 
--  The President announced in June 2007 his intention to 
appoint a Special Envoy to the OIC, as a part of his 
continuing commitment to actively engage with Muslim 
communities around the world.  On February 27, he announced 
that Mr. Sada Cumber will be that Envoy. 
 
--  &We just had a discussion about his mission, and the 
core of his mission is to explain to the Islamic world that 
America is a friend -- is a friend of freedom, is a friend of 
peace, that we value religion -- that, matter of fact, we 
value it to the point where we believe that anybody should be 
able to worship the way they see fit, and we respect that.8 
 
STATE 00020672  002 OF 002 
 
 
) President Bush, February 27, 2008 
 
--  This marks the first time a U.S. president has made such 
an appointment to the OIC. 
 
--  As Special Envoy, Mr. Sada Cumber will serve as the 
United States, representative to the OIC, and will seek to 
promote mutual understanding and dialogue between the United 
States and Muslim communities around the world. 
 
--  Mr. Cumber will begin his duties as Special Envoy to the 
OIC on March 3, 2008.  One of his first official duties will 
be to attend the Eleventh Annual OIC Summit, set to take 
place in Dakar, Senegal, from March 8 to 14, 2008. 
 
--  Mr. Cumber will also be meeting with representatives of 
American Muslim communities and traveling to OIC member and 
non-member states to engage Muslim communities around the 
world. 
 
--  He will also maintain formal contact with the OIC 
Secretariat, the Secretary General, the chairing country, and 
 
SIPDIS 
other member countries on important issues.  He will follow 
OIC affairs and activities and seek to understand the views 
of OIC members and leaders, identify ways for the U.S. and 
the OIC to cooperate, and promote U.S. views on important 
policy matters that may come before the OIC. 
 
--  Mr. Cumber is looking forward to leveraging his 
background to be particularly active in areas of common 
interest for the United States, the OIC, and OIC member 
states: cultural affairs, economic issues, youth, technology, 
human rights, humanitarian assistance, peace, and security. 
 
--  Mr. Cumber will also seek to engage states as they 
advocate for moderation, and in that light we,d like to 
welcome statements the OIC has made in support of moderation, 
dialogue, respect, and understanding. 
 
Q:  Who is Mr. Sada Cumber?  What are his qualifications for 
the job? 
 
--  Mr. Cumber is a Pakistani-American businessman from 
Austin, Texas, who brings a unique skill set to the Special 
Envoy position. 
 
--  He is a proven leader in the business world, with 25 
years of experience in the technology industry, as well as 
active public sector involvement in business development and 
entrepreneurship. 
 
--  In addition, he has long been interested in issues 
surrounding the strengthening of civil society in developing 
countries and economic development. 
 
-  He has a multicultural background, and extensive business 
and political skills to promote cooperation across cultures 
in support of these shared areas of interest. 
 
Q:  If asked: The President announced his intent to appoint a 
Special Envoy last June.  Why did this appointment take so 
long? 
 
--  The President wanted to make sure he found the right 
person for this important job. 
 
Q:  If asked: Does the appointment of this envoy mean that 
the United States is becoming a member of the OIC? 
 
--  No.  The United States is not seeking OIC membership or 
observer status, but we are seeking a more active role.  We 
see the Envoy position as providing another opportunity for 
productive, respectful engagement. 
 
--  The United States is home to millions of Muslims, and, 
like other states with Muslim populations, we think it,s 
important to engage with the OIC. 
 
Q:  If asked: Did the OIC request this appointment? 
 
--  The appointment was not requested by the OIC. 
 
--  It is a Presidential initiative to further demonstrate 
the United States, commitment to engage with Muslim 
communities around the world. 
 
Q:  If asked: To whom does the Special Envoy report? 
 
--  The Special Envoy will be housed within the State 
Department,s Bureau for International Organization Affairs. 
He will report to both the Secretary of State and the 
President. 
RICE