C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ABU DHABI 001791

SIPDIS

STATE FOR IRAQ TASK FORCE, ALSO NEA/ARP, NEA/RA,
PRM/ANE, AND IO/UNP
KUWAIT FOR HOC

E.O. 12958: DECL 04/14/13
TAGS: EAID PREL PGOV PHUM IZ TC
SUBJECT: TFIZ01: UAE RED CRESCENT SHIP FINALLY
ARRIVES AT UMM QASR: LESSONS LEARNED

REFS: ABU DHABI 1660 AND PREVIOUS


1. (U) Classified by DCM Richard A. Albright for
reasons 1.5 (B) and (D).


2. (C) Summary and comment: The UAE's much-heralded
shipment of 700 tons of humanitarian supplies arrived
at Umm Qasr on April 11 -- the first water shipment to
arrive via civilian vessel into that port since the
war began. The political importance of this shipment
was significant: both as a manifestation of the
world's (and particularly the Arab world's) commitment
to alleviate human suffering in Iraq, and -- for the
domestic UAE audience -- as a demonstration of the
UAE's effectiveness in promptly getting needed aid to
its destination. This is certainly only the first of
what will be many humanitarian shipments to Umm Qasr;
we offer up our observations on lessons learned --
namely, the importance of coordination and flexibility
all around -- for other posts which may be asked to
facilitate such shipments.


3. (C) Following a reported March 25 attack on UAE
Red Crescent workers traveling overland from Amman to
Baghdad (reftel), the RCA decided to coordinate its
next shipment of 700 tons of foodstuff, family first
aid kits, four water tankers, two cargo trucks, an
ambulance, and several passenger vehicles through the
HOC via Embassy Abu Dhabi. Well aware of the unstable
security situation in southern Iraq, UAE Armed Forces
Chief of Staff Shaykh Mohammed bin Zayid Al-Nahyan
took over the coordination of the shipment from the
RCA -- a sign of the high importance attached to this
effort by the UAE leadership.

-------------- --------------
Lesson One: Coordination With HOC, NAVCENT Essential
-------------- --------------


4. (C) From the beginning, Econoff alerted the HOC,
CENTCOM (through USLO), and NAVCENT (through the DAO
Naval Attache) that the UAEG, on behalf of the Red
Crescent Authority was organizing a shipment of

humanitarian supplies to Umm Qasr. NAVCENT and the
HOC requested a number of documents from the Emiratis,
including the specifics of the ship (including ship's
name, flag, registry, and international call sign),
ship's draft (draft in Umm Qasr is limited from 7.3 to
9.5 meters due to silt build-up and underwater
obstacles), owner and agent of the ship, detailed crew
and passenger manifests with full names and
nationalities (plus passport information to facilitate
clearances), and a detailed cargo manifest.


5. (C) Close coordination with NAVCENT was critical
to the operation. Once the vessel was underway for
Umm Qasr, NAVCENT was able to provide Post with
updates on the location of the ship, and communicated
to us what would be required of the ship's crew and
the UAE delegation along the way. This line of
communication helped us sensitize the ship's crew and
passengers (including four journalists) to the
thorough security checks and inspections that were
likely to take place at the checkpoint and/or at the
port.

--------------
Lesson Two: Prepare For Last-Minute Changes
--------------


6. (C) Post forwarded to the HOC and NAVCENT all
manifests and ship documentation 48 hours prior to the
vessel's departure from Dubai. Due to last minute
mechanical problems, the UAEG was required to find
another ship willing to sail to Iraq in less than 24
hours. Last minute questions arose concerning the
offloading capabilities of the vessel (currently,
there is no power at Umm Qasr), the UAE delegates'
plans to remain in Umm Qasr to distribute the
supplies, and significant revisions to the crew
manifest by the vessel owner -- which required NAVCENT
to undertake additional security precautions.

-------------- --
Lesson Four: Encourage Direct Contact With ICRC
-------------- --

7. (C) Post relayed to the RCA that it would be
responsible for the distribution of the items once the
ship arrived in Iraq. Indeed, the RCA had insisted
that its personnel alone would arrange the delivery of
the relief shipment inside Iraq. Although the HOC
provided contact information for the ICRC and the
Kuwaiti Red Crescent to the RCA, it appears that the
RCA did not finalize its distribution plans with its
counterparts in Iraq, leading to delays in getting the
aid to those who need it. We understand, however,
that the HOC has assisted the UAE delegation in
lashing up with the ICRC/Kuwaiti Red Crescent to
facilitate distribution of the goods.

--------------
All's Well That Ends Well
--------------


8. (C) We were impressed by the can-do attitude and
flexibility exhibited by representatives in the HOC,
who effortlessly managed eleventh hour changes in the
vessel and its crew, and coordinated the shipment
between the various branches of the Coalition forces.
CFLCC and NAVCENT were similarly cooperative and
helpful, promptly answering even the most arcane of
questions. The head of the UAE delegation already has
contacted Post directly and via the MFA to offer his
thanks to all involved for facilitating the shipment
(which has received stellar coverage in the local
media), and noted specifically the professionalism and
courtesy of the troops the UAE delegates encountered
along the way. We second his thanks.

Wahba