VZCZCXRO8227
PP RUEHBC RUEHDBU RUEHDE RUEHIHL RUEHKUK RUEHLH RUEHPW RUEHRN RUEHTRO
DE RUEHJI #0172/01 1391532
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 191532Z MAY 09
FM AMCONSUL JEDDAH
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1319
INFO RUEHEG/AMEMBASSY CAIRO PRIORITY 0387
RUEHDM/AMEMBASSY DAMASCUS PRIORITY 0193
RUEHML/AMEMBASSY MANILA PRIORITY 0085
RUEHPS/AMEMBASSY PRISTINA PRIORITY
RUEHTI/AMEMBASSY TIRANA PRIORITY 0080
RUEHIC/OIC COLLECTIVE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 JEDDAH 000172 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA/ARP, NEA/ELA, EUR/SCE, IO 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/19/2014 
TAGS: EAID EG KISL OFDP OVIP PREL RP SA SY KO
SUBJECT: OIC OFFICIAL ON KOSOVO ATTENDANCE/RECOGNITION AND 
PHILIPPINES OBSERVER STATUS AS DAMASCUS MINISTERIAL 
APPROACHES 
 
REF: A. JEDDAH 0166 
     ¶B. JEDDAH 0165 
     ¶C. JEDDAH 0163 
     ¶D. RIYADH 0588 
     ¶E. RIYADH 0590 
     ¶F. 08 JEDDAH 0417 
 
Classified By: Consul General Martin R. Quinn for reasons 1.4(b) and (d 
) 
 
¶1. (C) SUMMARY: According to an OIC official, a request for 
Kosovo to attend the May 23-25 OIC Ministerial in Damascus is 
still pending Syrian permission. Reasons behind Egypt's role 
in hampering Albanian efforts to pass a resolution on Kosovo 
recognition remain opaque while the role of Syria as 
conference chair may prove critical to the outcome of the 
Kosovo recognition resolution.  An attempt by the Philippines 
to gain OIC observer status illustrates that the process for 
non-members is unclear. END SUMMARY. 
¶2. (C) KOSOVO ATTENDANCE: According to OIC official Ufuk 
Gokcen (in recent conversations with Jeddah PolOff), Kosovo 
has asked to attend the annual OIC Council of Ministers 
meeting in Damascus and the OIC has supported its bid with 
the Secretary General asking the Syrian Foreign Minister last 
week at a private dinner to see if the Kosovars could be 
invited. The decision is still pending.  Macedonia also asked 
permission to attend.  Sri Lanka was earlier granted 
permission.  Host approval and/or invitation is the main 
element determining whether a country attends an OIC meeting. 
 Gokcen reported that the OIC "requested it but the Syrians 
are not replying."  Gokcen stated his sense that the Syrians 
are stalling on Macedonian attendance so as not to slight 
others while the question of Kosovo attendance remains open. 
¶3. (C) MURKY RESOLUTION APPROVAL PROCESS: Gokcen says that 
the Kosovo resolution definitely will be raised in Damascus 
at a Special Committee to debate all outstanding resolutions 
emerging from the preparatory meetings in Jeddah.  Gokcen 
expects that the Special Committee chair will be Syrian 
Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Al-Meqdad.  Following 
committee action, all resolutions will be presented to the 
plenary for adoption by consensus. Gokcen pointed out that 
while it is not typical, any minister may use this last 
opportunity to speak against a specific resolution, an action 
which could bring the plenary into a debate.  Gokcen 
described the consensus approval as quick but murky -- a 
process in which members often have trouble recalling exactly 
when or how specific resolutions were passed. 
¶4. (C) EGYPT'S MOTIVATION NOT CLEAR:  The Albanians submitted 
the resolution on Kosovo recognition at the May 4-6 Jeddah 
preparatory meeting, where Egypt was the only country that 
tried to block the initiative, using last minute maneuvers to 
try to prevent it from passing in its original form.  Baffled 
by Egypt's resistance to the Albanian resolution, Gokcen 
claimed to have "absolutely no idea" why Egypt is taking this 
position, but speculated that the "Sudan issue" or Egypt's 
ties with Russia might be factors. 
¶5. (C) IMPORTANT ROLE OF SYRIA: Gokcen repeated that Syria 
played a constructive role during the preparatory meeting, 
adding that &the chair (Syria) was quite democratic.8 At 
previous OIC meetings a forceful chair has been important in 
passing resolutions, ensuring that countries cannot 
single-handedly derail the process.  The role of Syrian 
Deputy FM Faisal Al-Meqdad is thus integral to getting the 
Kosovo resolution passed in Damascus. 
¶6. (C) BID BY PHILIPPINES FOR OBSERVER STATUS IN DAMASCUS: 
In a side development, the Philippines is campaigning hard to 
gain observer status at the OIC.  While Article Four of the 
OIC Charter deals with the question of observer status, the 
"criteria" for acceptance are not defined.  There has been a 
block on the entry of observers in recent years except in 
exceptional situations (such as Russia).  The most likely 
scenario for approval would be a member country minister 
raising the issue and other members pushing it through by 
acclamation.  There is a more remote possibility that a 
particularly bold minister might take to the floor and 
object.  Currently, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Macedonia and 
Serbia have applied for observer status. 
¶7. (C) COMMENT -- EGYPT THE WILD CARD: Gokcen did not venture 
an opinion whether Kosovo attendance would help/hinder the 
chances of Kosovo acceptance.  Clearly, Syria has the power 
to allow Kosovo to attend and may be able to push the 
resolution forward if it sees fit.  Egypt remains the wild 
card.  It is not clear whether Egypt will push hard against 
 
JEDDAH 00000172  002 OF 002 
 
 
the resolution, two weeks after it stood at the preparatory 
meeting in lone opposition. Egypt did not present solid 
counter arguments in Jeddah, noting only that "more time" was 
needed. In Damascus next week, Egypt will either have 
sharpened its arguments or decided to put up less resistance 
to recognizing Kosovo.  END COMMENT. 
QUINN