UAEG CONSIDERATION OF SIGNING ICOC ONGOING

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