Identifier | Created | Classification | Origin |
---|---|---|---|
03ABUDHABI1461 | 2003-03-26 11:11:00 | SECRET//NOFORN | Embassy Abu Dhabi |
null Diana T Fritz 05/24/2007 04:44:48 PM From DB/Inbox: Search Results Cable Text: SECRET SIPDIS TELEGRAM March 26, 2003 To: No Action Addressee Action: Unknown From: AMEMBASSY ABU DHABI (ABU DHABI 1461 - UNKNOWN) TAGS: ASEC, AMGT, PTER, PREL, EAID, PGOV, KPAO Captions: None Subject: TFIZ01 (EAC): ABU DHABI SITREP NO. 7, MARCH 26 Ref: None _________________________________________________________________ S E C R E T ABU DHABI 01461 SIPDIS CXABU: ACTION: POL INFO: ADM P/M RSO AMB ECON DCM DISSEMINATION: POL CHARGE: PROG APPROVED: DCM: RALBRIGHT DRAFTED: POL: MMENARD CLEARED: POL: SWILLIAMS; RSO: JROONEY; PAO: KVANDEVATE VZCZCADI664 OO RUEHC RUCNRAQ RUEKJCS RUMICEA RUEKJCS RUEHDE DE RUEHAD #1461/01 0851111 ZNY SSSSS ZZH O 261111Z MAR 03 FM AMEMBASSY ABU DHABI TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 9094 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 2953 |
S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 ABU DHABI 001461 |
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, Wednesday 3/26. Embassy Abu Dhabi, FCS (located outside of the Embassy compound), and the USGS office in Al Ain are open 3/26 with full staffing. -------------------------- Consular Issues -------------------------- 3. (U) The consular section is open for visa services and American Citizen Services. The American community remains calm; CONS has not received calls from worried AMCITs. 4. (C) CONS proposed and Task Force approved, issuance of a warden update to alert Americans in the UAE that there have been minor disruptions in air traffic in and out of the UAE. The message, in an effort to counteract rumors, also informs that there have been no hostile actions against Americans or U.S. interests in the UAE. The message urges Americans to remain vigilant. 5. (U) American business community contacts continue to report that private American citizens and U.S. companies located here have not departed the UAE on a large scale. RSO reported that the Abu Dhabi Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC) continues to meet on a daily basis. -------------------------- -------------------------- DUBAI TELETHON RAISES $13 MILLION FOR IRAQI HUMANITARIAN RELIEF -------------------------- -------------------------- 6. (SBU) ECON noted that the 12-hour telethon conducted yesterday on Dubai TV and radio raised DHS 49 million ($13.3 million) for humanitarian relief in Iraq. Sponsored by Dubai Crown Prince Muhammad bin Rashid Al-Maktoum's Charitable and Humanitarian Foundation, the telethon featured appearances by local and Arab notables, including outspoken Dubai Police Chief General Dhahi Khalfan, who sharply criticized coalition military actions in Iraq and called on the American and British Ambassadors to the UAE to "honestly report to their governments the strong anti-war sentiments of the public." Also making appearances were an Iraqi Sunni cleric, Shaykh Ahmed Al-Qubaisi, and "Raghda," a Syrian actress well-known for her close ties to the Iraqi regime (many in the Iraqi expat community here claim she is one of several Arab entertainers on Saddam's payroll). Al-Qubaisi called on Arabs to rise up against the American/British "ijtiyah" (invasion) and at one point, collapsed into tears, predicting that the U.S. is "redrawing the map of the Arab world with Iraqi blood." (Comment: This telethon, like the emotionally-charged one held in April 2002 during the Israeli incursion into Jenin, is seen by the leadership as an effective tool for containing public anger and frustration. End Comment.) 7. (C) ECON also reported that hawala remittances to Iraq from UAE residents had stopped due to difficulties in transferring money since the onset of hostilities. -------------------------- Security -------------------------- 8. (C) Currently on spring break vacation, the American Community School will resume classes on Saturday 3/29. The RSO reported that the buses used for ferrying Embassy children will not be used for four days after class resumption as a precautionary measure. On the fifth day, the buses will be used, but will be switched on a regular basis to alter busing patterns. 9. (C) RSO reported that on 3/25, two journalists from the country of Georgia were questioned by local police after they attempted to photograph the Embassy compound. The RSO informed the journalists that photographs of the Embassy were not permitted and referred them to the UAE Ministry of Information. 10. (S/NF) ORCA reported that there continue to be reports of a possible chemical attack on Americans or U.S. interests worldwide. Although reporting specific to the Gulf continues, there have been no threat reports specific to the UAE. -------------------------- Local Media -------------------------- 11. (U) PAO reported that Abu Dhabi TV will feature a live interview with Secretary Powell this evening conducted by correspondents from Abu Dhabi TV, Al-Jazeera and Egyptian Satellite TV. 12. (C) PAO indicated that, with the exception of Abu Dhabi government-owned Al-Ittihad, the local Arabic papers are not balanced in their reporting on the war. PAO will engage with the press to encourage more balanced coverage. 13. (U) Abu Dhabi Iraq Task Force/EAC will reconvene at 1000 local time, Saturday 3/29. 14. (U) Iraq Task Force/EAC members in attendance included AMB, DCM, RSO, DAO, P/M, POL, ECON, CONS, MSG, PAO, ADMIN, and USLO. WAHBA |