Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
03ABUDHABI3856
2003-08-23 11:38:00
CONFIDENTIAL//NOFORN
Embassy Abu Dhabi
Cable title:  

UAEG DENIES BANKROLLING IRAQI SUNNI

Tags:  KPRP PINR PGOV PINS PNAT PREL IZ TC 
pdf how-to read a cable
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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