INDEPENDENT NEWS

Cablegate: Somalia: Arab League Offers to Host Contact Group

Published: Wed 7 Mar 2007 04:13 PM
VZCZCXRO8673
OO RUEHDE RUEHROV RUEHTRO
DE RUEHEG #0623 0661613
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 071613Z MAR 07
FM AMEMBASSY CAIRO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3891
INFO RUCNSOM/SOMALIA COLLECTIVE
UNCLAS CAIRO 000623
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL UNSC MOPS PTER ARABL EG SO
SUBJECT: SOMALIA: ARAB LEAGUE OFFERS TO HOST CONTACT GROUP
MEETING IN EARLY APRIL
REF: A. STATE 25142
B. HEGADORN-YATES E-MAILS
Sensitive but unclassified. Please handle accordingly.
1. (SBU) Arab League Secretariat Staff Member Zeid Al Sabban
confirmed to poloff on March 6 that the League wanted to host
the next International Contact Group (ICG) meeting in Cairo,
and was consulting in Nairobi for dates in early April. A
diplomatic note from the AL asserting that the meeting would
be held on April 5 "was a mistake," Sabban said, as that date
was not chosen through a process of consultation with
co-chairs U.S. and Norway, nor with other ICG members.
(Note: The AL sent a new diplomatic note to Cairo missions of
ICG members on March 6 saying the date for the meeting
remained under consideration. End note). In subsequent
conversations on March 7, Sabban stated that ICG members in
Nairobi were considering April 4 as a possible meeting date
in Cairo.
2. (SBU) Embassy looks forward to confirmation of a date for
the ICG meeting, including participation by AF Assistant
Secretary Fraser. We hope that bilateral consultations with
SIPDIS
the Egyptians on African issues can also be scheduled in
tandem with this CG meeting. We note that Egyptian MFA
contacts have expressed to us their interest in participating
in the CG meeting, should it take place in Cairo. Poloff
Chris Hegadorn will be the Embassy point of contact for both
events.
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