UAEG CONSIDERATION OF SIGNING ICOC ONGOING

UNCLAS ABU DHABI 003195 SIPDIS SENSITIVE DEPT FOR NEA/ARP AND NP/CBM E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PARM MTCRE PREL MNUC ETTC TSPA KSCA SUBJECT: UAEG CONSIDERATION OF SIGNING ICOC ONGOING REF: A) STATE 16509 B) STATE 89910 C) STATE 97985 D) STATE 155178 E) ABU DHABI 2730 ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY AND COMMENT: The UAEG is actively considering signing the International Code of Conduct Against Ballistic Missile Proliferation (ICOC or "Hague Code"). The MFA Legal Affairs Department has recommended to MFA MinState Hamdan Bin Zayed's Office that the UAEG sign the Hague Code. Hamdan's Office will reportedly make a final decision on this issue after consulting with the Office of the UAE Armed Forces Chief of Staff. Post's encouragement of the UAEG to sign the Hague Code was identified as a next step in the 2002 Strategic Dialogue (see Ref A). We continue to engage the MFA on this issue in furtherance of our next steps strategy, with the hope that the UAEG will sign or be close to signing the Hague Code before the 2003 Strategic Partnership meetings to be held later this year. END SUMMARY AND COMMENT. ¶2. (U) On 9 June, Poloff delivered Ref C demarche to MFA Americas Desk Officer Nejla Al-Qassimi, and left copies of the text of the Hague Code, a list of states subscribing to the Hague Code, and a sample note verbale for the UAEG's use in becoming a signatory to the Hague Code. Poloff encouraged early signing of the Hague Code, in light of the upcoming Technical Experts Meeting on the Hague Code from June 23-25. In response, Al-Qassimi undertook to determine the UAEG's position on subscribing to the Hague Code. ¶3. (U) On June 29, Polchief and Poloff met with MFA Legal Affairs Department Deputy Director Yacub Al- Hosani to discuss the UAEG's position on signing the Hague Code. Polchief reminded Al-Hosani that the UAEG's subscription to the Hague Code had been discussed at the U.S.-UAE Strategic Partnership meetings in Washington, D.C. in November 2002. Al- Hosani indicated that the MFA Legal Affairs Department had recommended to the Office of MFA MinState Sheikh Hamdan Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan that the UAEG sign the Hague Code. Al-Hosani stated that he would contact Hamdan's Office and then advise us on the current status of the UAEG's consideration and decision. ¶4. (SBU) On July 7, Poloff contacted Al-Hosani to follow-up on the MFA Legal Affairs Department's recommendation. Al-Hosani reported that Hamdan's Office had instructed the MFA to consult on this issue with the Office of the UAE Armed Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Mohammed Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan (MbZ). Al- Hosani indicated that he would forward the MFA Legal Affairs Department's recommendation to MbZ's Office this week for review and consideration. He further stated that he would follow-up with MbZ's Office in two weeks to receive their input. Poloff thanked Al- Hosani for his commitment to push this issue forward, noting that the UAEG's signing of the Hague Code prior to this year's Strategic Partnership meetings would be another excellent achievement to result from last year's meetings. Al-Hosani agreed, and undertook to work towards this goal. WAHBA