Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
03ABUDHABI1381
2003-03-23 12:56:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Abu Dhabi
Cable title:
TFIZ01 (EAC): ABU DHABI SITREP NO. 4, MARCH 23
how-tonull Diana T Fritz 05/24/2007 04:48:01 PM From DB/Inbox: Search Results Cable Text: CONFIDENTIAL SIPDIS TELEGRAM March 23, 2003 To: No Action Addressee Action: Unknown From: AMEMBASSY ABU DHABI (ABU DHABI 1381 - UNKNOWN) TAGS: ASEC, AMGT, PTER, PREL, EAID, PGOV Captions: None Subject: TFIZ01 (EAC): ABU DHABI SITREP NO. 4, MARCH 23 Ref: None _________________________________________________________________ C O N F I D E N T I A L ABU DHABI 01381 SIPDIS CXABU: ACTION: POL INFO: AMB ADM RSO DCM P/M ECON DISSEMINATION: POL CHARGE: PROG APPROVED: DCM: RALBRIGHT DRAFTED: ECON:CCRUMPLER CLEARED: POL:STWILLIAMS RS:JROONEY PAO:KVANDEVATE VZCZCADI479 OO RUEHC RUCNRAQ RUEKJCS RUMICEA RUEKJCS RUEHDE DE RUEHAD #1381/01 0821256 ZNY CCCCC ZZH O 231256Z MAR 03 FM AMEMBASSY ABU DHABI TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 8999 INFO RUCNRAQ/IRAQ COLLECTIVE PRIORITY RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC PRIORITY RUMICEA/USCINCCENT INTEL CEN MACDILL AFB FL PRIORITY RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC PRIORITY RUEHDE/AMCONSUL DUBAI PRIORITY 2911
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ABU DHABI 001381
SIPDIS
STATE FOR IRAQ TASK FORCE, ALSO NEA/ARP, NEA/EX,
CA/OCS/NEASA, DS/DSS/ITA, DS/IP/NEA, DSERCC, AND M
E.O. 12958: DECL 03/23/13
TAGS: ASEC AMGT KHLS PTER PREL EAID PGOV TC
SUBJECT: TFIZ01 (EAC): ABU DHABI SITREP NO. 4, MARCH 23
REF: ABU DHABI 1365 AND PREVIOUS
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ABU DHABI 001381
SIPDIS
STATE FOR IRAQ TASK FORCE, ALSO NEA/ARP, NEA/EX,
CA/OCS/NEASA, DS/DSS/ITA, DS/IP/NEA, DSERCC, AND M
E.O. 12958: DECL 03/23/13
TAGS: ASEC AMGT KHLS PTER PREL EAID PGOV TC
SUBJECT: TFIZ01 (EAC): ABU DHABI SITREP NO. 4, MARCH 23
REF: ABU DHABI 1365 AND PREVIOUS
1. (U) Classified by DCM Richard A. Albright, for reasons
1.5 (B) and (D).
--------------
General Overview
--------------
2. (U) COM convened Abu Dhabi's Iraq Task Force/core
Emergency Action Committee (EAC) at 1000 local time, 3/23.
Embassy Abu Dhabi, FCS (located outside of the Embassy
compound),and the USGS office in Al Ain are open 3/23 with
full staffing.
--------------
Consular Issues
--------------
3. (U) The Consular Section is open for American Citizen
Services today and will resume visa services on 3/24. The
American community here has remained calm; CONS has not
received a single call from worried AMCITs. In contrast,
consular officers from other Western embassies in Abu Dhabi
have reported a high level of anxiety among their citizenry
since the onset of hostilities. Most embassies here
released a travel warning only after the military action in
Iraq had begun. CONS posited that our outreach program of
warden messages and travel warnings prior to the war kept
the American community informed about the situation.
4. (U) American business community contacts report no
significant exodus from the UAE of private American
citizens or U.S. companies located here.
--------------
UAEG Actions/Statements
--------------
5. (C) POL noted that the new Speaker of the UAE's
parliamentary Federal National Council publicly announced
yesterday that the situation in Iraq is the fault of the
Iraqi leadership. Speaker Al-Kindi said that Saddam had
been given the opportunity to leave, but had declined to
heed that good advice.
--------------
Security
--------------
6. (C) Task Force/EAC members agreed to implement random
security inspection of American and FSN employees, upon
arrival to the Embassy compound. Those who are randomly
selected will undergo inspection of their personal and
other property by Embassy guards.
7. (C) USLO reported no incidents involving U.S. military
troops in the UAE, and reported that our forces here are
likely to move from Force Protection Condition Delta to
Charlie on 3/24.
--------------
Local Media
--------------
8. (C) UAE Information Minister Shaykh Abdulla Bin Zayid
Al-Nahyan reportedly requested the Pan-Arab "Al-Khaleej"
Arabic daily to "tone down" its Iraq reporting. PAO noted,
however, that "Al-Khaleej" continued to criticize the
United States and focused on Iraqi casualties of war,
carrying a full page of photographs of wounded Iraqi men,
women, and children on 3/23.
9. (C) Shaykh Abdulla also told the Ambassador that all
journalists held captive in the Iraqi Information Ministry
building have been allowed to leave, but were being forced
to file their reports from the building. According to
Shaykh Abdulla, most journalists left the building last
night for fear of their safety during the U.S. air strikes
on Baghdad.
10. (C) Abu Dhabi TV aired Deputy Secretary Armitage's
interview on 3/22 and 3/23. Secretary Powell is expected
to appear on Abu Dhabi TV next week. PAO noted that only
two Arab reporters -- from Abu Dhabi TV and Al-Jazeera --
had asked questions of General Franks in yesterday's
CENTCOM briefing. The Ambassador noted the importance of
placing more Arab journalists in the front rows at CENTCOM
briefings to ensure that their questions were aired. PAO
undertook to pass this suggestion to her military
counterparts.
11. (U) PAO has updated the Embassy web page, distributed
recent statements from Administration officials, and
established an SMS text messaging service for local
journalists and UAEG officials to quickly disseminate Iraq-
related information.
12. (U) Abu Dhabi Iraq Task Force/EAC will reconvene at
1000 local time, 3/24.
13. (U) Iraq Task Force/EAC members in attendance included
AMB, DCM, RSO, DAO, P/M, POL, ECON, CONS, MSG, OBO, PAO,
ADMIN, USLO, FCS, FBI.
Wahba
SIPDIS
STATE FOR IRAQ TASK FORCE, ALSO NEA/ARP, NEA/EX,
CA/OCS/NEASA, DS/DSS/ITA, DS/IP/NEA, DSERCC, AND M
E.O. 12958: DECL 03/23/13
TAGS: ASEC AMGT KHLS PTER PREL EAID PGOV TC
SUBJECT: TFIZ01 (EAC): ABU DHABI SITREP NO. 4, MARCH 23
REF: ABU DHABI 1365 AND PREVIOUS
1. (U) Classified by DCM Richard A. Albright, for reasons
1.5 (B) and (D).
--------------
General Overview
--------------
2. (U) COM convened Abu Dhabi's Iraq Task Force/core
Emergency Action Committee (EAC) at 1000 local time, 3/23.
Embassy Abu Dhabi, FCS (located outside of the Embassy
compound),and the USGS office in Al Ain are open 3/23 with
full staffing.
--------------
Consular Issues
--------------
3. (U) The Consular Section is open for American Citizen
Services today and will resume visa services on 3/24. The
American community here has remained calm; CONS has not
received a single call from worried AMCITs. In contrast,
consular officers from other Western embassies in Abu Dhabi
have reported a high level of anxiety among their citizenry
since the onset of hostilities. Most embassies here
released a travel warning only after the military action in
Iraq had begun. CONS posited that our outreach program of
warden messages and travel warnings prior to the war kept
the American community informed about the situation.
4. (U) American business community contacts report no
significant exodus from the UAE of private American
citizens or U.S. companies located here.
--------------
UAEG Actions/Statements
--------------
5. (C) POL noted that the new Speaker of the UAE's
parliamentary Federal National Council publicly announced
yesterday that the situation in Iraq is the fault of the
Iraqi leadership. Speaker Al-Kindi said that Saddam had
been given the opportunity to leave, but had declined to
heed that good advice.
--------------
Security
--------------
6. (C) Task Force/EAC members agreed to implement random
security inspection of American and FSN employees, upon
arrival to the Embassy compound. Those who are randomly
selected will undergo inspection of their personal and
other property by Embassy guards.
7. (C) USLO reported no incidents involving U.S. military
troops in the UAE, and reported that our forces here are
likely to move from Force Protection Condition Delta to
Charlie on 3/24.
--------------
Local Media
--------------
8. (C) UAE Information Minister Shaykh Abdulla Bin Zayid
Al-Nahyan reportedly requested the Pan-Arab "Al-Khaleej"
Arabic daily to "tone down" its Iraq reporting. PAO noted,
however, that "Al-Khaleej" continued to criticize the
United States and focused on Iraqi casualties of war,
carrying a full page of photographs of wounded Iraqi men,
women, and children on 3/23.
9. (C) Shaykh Abdulla also told the Ambassador that all
journalists held captive in the Iraqi Information Ministry
building have been allowed to leave, but were being forced
to file their reports from the building. According to
Shaykh Abdulla, most journalists left the building last
night for fear of their safety during the U.S. air strikes
on Baghdad.
10. (C) Abu Dhabi TV aired Deputy Secretary Armitage's
interview on 3/22 and 3/23. Secretary Powell is expected
to appear on Abu Dhabi TV next week. PAO noted that only
two Arab reporters -- from Abu Dhabi TV and Al-Jazeera --
had asked questions of General Franks in yesterday's
CENTCOM briefing. The Ambassador noted the importance of
placing more Arab journalists in the front rows at CENTCOM
briefings to ensure that their questions were aired. PAO
undertook to pass this suggestion to her military
counterparts.
11. (U) PAO has updated the Embassy web page, distributed
recent statements from Administration officials, and
established an SMS text messaging service for local
journalists and UAEG officials to quickly disseminate Iraq-
related information.
12. (U) Abu Dhabi Iraq Task Force/EAC will reconvene at
1000 local time, 3/24.
13. (U) Iraq Task Force/EAC members in attendance included
AMB, DCM, RSO, DAO, P/M, POL, ECON, CONS, MSG, OBO, PAO,
ADMIN, USLO, FCS, FBI.
Wahba