Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
03ABUDHABI3856
2003-08-23 11:38:00
CONFIDENTIAL//NOFORN
Embassy Abu Dhabi
Cable title:
UAEG DENIES BANKROLLING IRAQI SUNNI
null Diana T Fritz 03/21/2007 11:30:51 AM From DB/Inbox: Search Results Cable Text: CONFIDENTIAL SIPDIS TELEGRAM August 23, 2003 To: No Action Addressee Action: Unknown From: AMEMBASSY ABU DHABI (ABU DHABI 3856 - PRIORITY) TAGS: PINR, PGOV, PINS, PNAT, PREL, KPRP Captions: None Subject: UAEG DENIES BANKROLLING IRAQI SUNNI CLERIC AHMED AL-KUBAYSI Ref: None _________________________________________________________________ C O N F I D E N T I A L ABU DHABI 03856 SIPDIS CXABU: ACTION: POL INFO: AMB RSO P/M ECON DCM DISSEMINATION: POL CHARGE: PROG APPROVED: CDA:RAALBRIGHT DRAFTED: POL:JFMAYBURY CLEARED: POL/MIL:SYORK VZCZCADI676 PP RUEHC RUEKJCS RUCNRAQ RHMFISS RHEHNSC RUEAIIA RHEFDIA RUCJACC DE RUEHAD #3856 2351138 ZNY CCCCC ZZH P 231138Z AUG 03 FM AMEMBASSY ABU DHABI TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1386 INFO RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC//OSD/NESA// PRIORITY RUCNRAQ/IRAQ COLLECTIVE PRIORITY RHMFISS/HQ COALITION PROVISIONAL AUTH BAGHDAD PRIORITY RUCJACC/USCINCCENT MACDILL AFB FL//POLAD/CCJ2/CCJ5// PRIORITY RHEHNSC/NSC WASHINGTON DC RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC
C O N F I D E N T I A L ABU DHABI 003856
SIPDIS
NOFORN
STATE FOR INR/NESA, NEA/ARP AND NEA/NGA
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/23/03
TAGS: KPRP PINR PGOV PINS PNAT PREL IZ TC
SUBJECT: UAEG DENIES BANKROLLING IRAQI SUNNI
CLERIC AHMED AL-KUBAYSI
REF: ABU DHABI 2654
C O N F I D E N T I A L ABU DHABI 003856
SIPDIS
NOFORN
STATE FOR INR/NESA, NEA/ARP AND NEA/NGA
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/23/03
TAGS: KPRP PINR PGOV PINS PNAT PREL IZ TC
SUBJECT: UAEG DENIES BANKROLLING IRAQI SUNNI
CLERIC AHMED AL-KUBAYSI
REF: ABU DHABI 2654
1. (U) Classified by Richard A. Albright, Charge
d'Affaires, a.i., for reasons 1.5 (B) and (D).
2. (C) UAE Information Minister Sheikh Abdullah Bin
Zayed Al-Nahyan denied that his government was
financing Iraqi Sunni cleric Ahmed Al-Kubaysi. In
an August 19 meeting with Charge and Polchief,
Sheikh Abdullah said it was possible that some
individuals in the UAE were giving money to Al-
Kubaysi, but he doubted that those amounts totaled
more than a "couple of hundreds of thousands of
dollars." The discussion about Al-Kubaysi came a
day after the English-language daily Gulf News
reprinted a Washington Post article about Al-
Kubaysi allegedly providing an anti-American Shiite
cleric in Iraq, Moqtada Sadr, with $50 million.
3. (C) Aside from denying any UAEG financial involvement
with Al-Kubaysi, Sheikh Abdullah said his government was
prepared to speak with the Sunni cleric if his sermons are
causing problems for Coalition efforts in Iraq. As
reported in reftel, Emirati leaders promoted Al-Kubaysi
early on, hopeful that he would help curb Iranian influence
and, conversely, serve as a unifying force for Iraqi Sunni
and Shi'a. Following his strident April 18 sermon at the
Abu Hanifa Mosque in Baghdad, and our expressions of
concern, the UAEG intervened to get Al-Kubaysi to moderate
his message.
4. (C) Charge said we would welcome UAEG
intervention with Kubaysi. In a separate
conversation Polchief had August 20 on the same
topic with Yousef Al-Otaiba, an assistant to UAE
Armed Forces Chief of Staff Sheikh Mohammed Bin
Zayed Al-Nahyan (MbZ),Al-Otaiba said he checked
his sources and came up with the same answer.
"There is absolutely no UAEG institution supporting
Al-Kubaysi." Al-Otaiba added that MbZ doubted that
Sadr is as influential as portrayed in the
Washington Post article (originally dated August
17).
ALBRIGHT
SIPDIS
NOFORN
STATE FOR INR/NESA, NEA/ARP AND NEA/NGA
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/23/03
TAGS: KPRP PINR PGOV PINS PNAT PREL IZ TC
SUBJECT: UAEG DENIES BANKROLLING IRAQI SUNNI
CLERIC AHMED AL-KUBAYSI
REF: ABU DHABI 2654
1. (U) Classified by Richard A. Albright, Charge
d'Affaires, a.i., for reasons 1.5 (B) and (D).
2. (C) UAE Information Minister Sheikh Abdullah Bin
Zayed Al-Nahyan denied that his government was
financing Iraqi Sunni cleric Ahmed Al-Kubaysi. In
an August 19 meeting with Charge and Polchief,
Sheikh Abdullah said it was possible that some
individuals in the UAE were giving money to Al-
Kubaysi, but he doubted that those amounts totaled
more than a "couple of hundreds of thousands of
dollars." The discussion about Al-Kubaysi came a
day after the English-language daily Gulf News
reprinted a Washington Post article about Al-
Kubaysi allegedly providing an anti-American Shiite
cleric in Iraq, Moqtada Sadr, with $50 million.
3. (C) Aside from denying any UAEG financial involvement
with Al-Kubaysi, Sheikh Abdullah said his government was
prepared to speak with the Sunni cleric if his sermons are
causing problems for Coalition efforts in Iraq. As
reported in reftel, Emirati leaders promoted Al-Kubaysi
early on, hopeful that he would help curb Iranian influence
and, conversely, serve as a unifying force for Iraqi Sunni
and Shi'a. Following his strident April 18 sermon at the
Abu Hanifa Mosque in Baghdad, and our expressions of
concern, the UAEG intervened to get Al-Kubaysi to moderate
his message.
4. (C) Charge said we would welcome UAEG
intervention with Kubaysi. In a separate
conversation Polchief had August 20 on the same
topic with Yousef Al-Otaiba, an assistant to UAE
Armed Forces Chief of Staff Sheikh Mohammed Bin
Zayed Al-Nahyan (MbZ),Al-Otaiba said he checked
his sources and came up with the same answer.
"There is absolutely no UAEG institution supporting
Al-Kubaysi." Al-Otaiba added that MbZ doubted that
Sadr is as influential as portrayed in the
Washington Post article (originally dated August
17).
ALBRIGHT