VZCZCXRO1568
PP RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHKUK RUEHROV
DE RUEHDO #0188/01 0761237
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 171237Z MAR 09
FM AMEMBASSY DOHA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8856
INFO RUEHEE/ARAB LEAGUE COLLECTIVE
RUEHAC/AMEMBASSY ASUNCION 0003
RUEHBO/AMEMBASSY BOGOTA 0020
RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA 0033
RUEHBU/AMEMBASSY BUENOS AIRES 0004
RUEHCV/AMEMBASSY CARACAS 0011
RUEHKA/AMEMBASSY DHAKA 0160
RUEHGE/AMEMBASSY GEORGETOWN 0007
RUEHLP/AMEMBASSY LA PAZ 0018
RUEHPE/AMEMBASSY LIMA 0046
RUEHMN/AMEMBASSY MONTEVIDEO 0009
RUEHPO/AMEMBASSY PARAMARIBO 0002
RUEHQT/AMEMBASSY QUITO 0163
RUEHSG/AMEMBASSY SANTIAGO 0018
RHMFISS/HQ USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 DOHA 000188 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DHAKA FOR P/E 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/16/2019 
TAGS: PREL KPAL WGG AL XR UY QA
SUBJECT: LONG-WINDED CHAVEZ EXPECTED AT MARCH 31 ARAB-SOUTH 
AMERICAN SUMMIT IN DOHA 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Joseph E. LeBaron for reasons 1.4 (b and d). 
 
--------------- 
 (C) KEY POINTS 
--------------- 
 
--  On March 31, 2009, Qatar will host the Second Arab-South 
America Summit.  The Summit will immediately follow the Arab 
League Summit to be held in Doha March 29-30. 
 
--  MFA Assistant Minister Al-Rumaihi told DCM March 17 that 
eight Latin American heads of state would attend, including 
anti-U.S. figures from Venezuela, Ecuador, and Bolivia. 
 
--  The balance of states would be represented by Foreign 
Ministers (except perhaps Uruguay). 
 
--  While Al-Rumaihi said the primary focus of the event 
would be economic, he acknowledged that Chavez and other 
leaders would inevitably use the Summit as a platform for 
political statements. 
 
--  South America, he said, had ample agricultural supplies 
that could be traded against the energy exports of Arab 
states. 
 
------------ 
(C) COMMENTS 
------------ 
 
--  We fully expect the March 31 Summit, given the cast of 
characters attending, to produce anti-U.S. (or, at least, 
anti-Israel) rhetoric. 
 
--  While we will continue to seek a copy of the agenda and 
the draft Summit statement, we doubt the Qataris will provide 
these documents in advance of the Summit. 
 
--  Al-Rumaihi, the #3 MFA official, shrugged his shoulders 
at the mention of Chavez as if to say the rhetoric against 
the U.S., even if symbolic, cannot be avoided. 
 
End Key Points and Comments 
 
¶1. (SBU) On March 31, Qatar will host in Doha the Second 
Arab-South American Summit.  The timing of the Summit aims to 
take advantage of the presence in Doha of Arab League heads 
of state, who will be meeting here March 29-30.  MFA 
Assistant Minister for Follow-Up Affairs Mohamed Al-Rumaihi 
told DCM Ratney and P/E Chief Rice March 17 that eight South 
American heads of state had confirmed their attendance. 
Included on the list are heads of state critical of the U.S. 
from Bolivia, Venezuela and Ecuador. 
 
¶2. (C) DCM responded that the press will undoubtedly focus on 
Hugo Chavez' statements and, in particular, anything he and 
other leaders said about the Palestinian conflict, Gaza, and 
other political issues.  Al-Rumaihi acknowledged that Chavez 
would have a spotlight. 
 
¶3. (C) MFA Director of American and European Affairs Adel 
Al-Khal, who was also present for the meeting, cited Chavez' 
30-minute speech (instead of the five-minute address on which 
the Saudi organizers had insisted) at an OPEC luncheon in 
Saudi Arabia last year as an example of how difficult it is 
to control Chavez. 
 
¶4. (C) Al-Rumaihi said the goal of the meetings is to 
reinforce the economic relationship between the Arab and 
South American countries.  He indicated that agriculture is a 
sector of great interest to the Arabs in dealing with South 
America.  "They need energy; we need food," he said. 
 
¶5. (C) The Assistant Minister observed that the U.S. has 
 
DOHA 00000188  002 OF 002 
 
 
"lost ground" in Latin America, with Brazil now playing an 
increasingly large hemispheric role.  Al-Rumaihi, who along 
with MFA point person for North America Ali Al Thani, 
personally delivered invitations to the Summit to South 
American Foreign Ministers, believed that of the South 
American countries, Colombia and Chile are the most reliable 
U.S. partners. 
 
¶6. (C) In a separate March 16 meeting, Al Thani told P/E 
Chief Rice and PolOff Caudill that the GOQ is pressuring 
Uruguay (which recently opened an Embassy in Qatar) to raise 
the profile of its delegation to the Summit.  Without 
offering specifics, Al Thani said every South American 
country would be represented in Doha at the head of state or 
foreign minister level -- except Uruguay.  Uruguay seeks to 
send only an Undersecretary. 
 
¶7. (C) Al Thani said the agenda for the Arab-South American 
Summit had not been finalized.  It continues to circulate 
among the Arab heads of state, who must approve it.  Al Thani 
did provide a web site (www2.mre.gov.br/aspa) where 
information on the Summit will be posted. 
 
¶8. (U) The first Arab-South America Summit was held in 
Brasilia in 2005, and a framework agreement on economic 
cooperation between the GCC and Mercosur was signed there. 
Since that time, there have been several high level meetings 
to continue the dialogue established at that conference.  The 
most notable of these was a meeting of Arab and South 
American Foreign Ministers held in Buenos Aires in February, 
2008 which resulted in the Buenos Aires Declaration.  That 
statement of common principles touched a wide range of 
issues, including support for the withdrawal of Israel to the 
lines of 4 June 1967. 
LeBaron