AS REGIONAL POWER CENTER SHIFTS, UAE

C O N F I D E N T I A L ABU DHABI 002234 SIPDIS STATE FOR NEA/ARP AND NEA/NGA E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/07/13 TAGS: PREL UNSC GCC SA TC SUBJECT: AS REGIONAL POWER CENTER SHIFTS, UAE NO LONGER TAKING TUTELAGE FROM RIYADH ¶1. (U) Classified by Ambassador Marcelle M. Wahba for reasons 1.5 (B) and (D). ¶2. (C) During a May 7 meeting with the Ambassador, MFA Minstate Hamdan bin Zayid Al-Nahyan shared the substance of a spat he had with Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah. Apparently, Abdullah had told an Arab expat (well known in Gulf circles for his connections to GCC leaders) that he was extremely displeased that the Emiratis had decided to send a representative to the April 28 Baghdad "tent meeting." Saudi Arabia had decided against such representation and believed that the smaller GCC states should have followed suit. An incensed Hamdan had asked the conduit to send the following back to Abdullah: "The UAE is a sovereign state which neither takes orders nor waits to see what direction others take before making decisions. The regional situation has changed and the Saudi leadership should not behave as it did 10 years ago." ¶3. (C) COMMENT: Anticipating a potential shift in the center of power from Riyadh to points northward, it appears that Abu Dhabi is already chafing at the Saudi suggestion that the Emiratis should continue to take their cues on policy decisions from their Saudi brothers. END COMMENT. WAHBA