UAE, OMAN FORMALIZE BORDER PACT

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ABU DHABI 004764

SIPDIS

STATE FOR INR, NEA/ARP

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/26/13
TAGS: PREL PGOV PINR QA SA IR MU TC
SUBJECT: UAE, OMAN FORMALIZE BORDER PACT

Ref: A) 02 Abu Dhabi 3079, B) 02 Abu Dhabi 2778

(U) Classified by Richard A. Albright, Charge
d'Affaires, a.i., Reasons 1.5 (B) and (D).


1. (U) Summary: The historical dispute between the
UAE and Oman over their common international border
appears to be over. On October 11, the two
neighbors exchanged authenticated documents on the
agreement reached on the common border from east of
Al Aqeedat to Al Daar in the north on the Arabian
Gulf coast. The agreement had been signed on June
22 last year by UAE MinState for Foreign Affairs
Shaykh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan (HbZ) and Omani
Minister for Foreign Affairs Yusuf bin Alawi bin
Abdullah (see ref A). HbZ is expected to turn his
attention next to other disputes with Iran and
Saudi Arabia. End Summary.


2. (C) On October 11, the UAE and Oman exchanged
authenticated documents on the agreement signed in
June 2002 delineating the common border between the
two countries. That signing took place in the
presence of UAE President Shaykh Zayed and Sultan
Qaboos bin Said of Oman. According to newspaper
reports, the border agreed upon lies between the
northern Emirate of Ras Al Khaymah and Oman's
northern Musandam peninsula, specifically between
the Emirati fishing village of Al Daar on the
Arabian Gulf and the inland town of Al Aqeedat. We
had been told last year that the border pact
includes a swap involving the Omani enclave of Al
Madhah in Sharjah-controlled Khor Fakkan. (Note:
On October 25, a reliable source at the Ministry of
Information and Culture told Polchief that the
intent of the border pact was to include the Al
Madhah enclave. He said details of the pact are
closely held by the UAEG and are not being revealed
to the press. He said he would try to confirm the
information with his government sources in Sharjah
and Fujairah during the month of Ramadan. End
note.) Under the terms of the pact, UAE citizens
within what is now Omani territory have been given
the option to remain Emirati and the same is true
for Omanis in what is now UAE territory. HBZ told
the press that the agreement was a model of a
peaceful settlement of a border dispute and would
open "unlimited avenues of cooperation and
integration in various fields between the two
countries."


3. (C) As we reported in ref A, Shaykh Hamdan's
task from his father, UAE President Zayed, was to
strike a compromise in which both sides were
required to give a little. Zayed's approach with
this conflict, as well as with the UAE's historical
border dispute with Saudi Arabia, and the UAE's
quarrel with Iran over three islands Iran seized in
the Arabian Gulf, has been to peacefully resolve
these disputes.


4. (C) Prior to the formation of the UAE federation
in 1971, Saudi Arabia and the UAE had some
competing territorial claims. The contested areas
included the Abu Dhabi oasis of Al Ain, the Omani
oasis of Al Buraimi, the coastal strip between Abu
Dhabi and Qatar, and the Zarrara-Shaybah oil fields
near the border between Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
The Saudis declined initially to recognize the UAE,
pending a resolution of the territorial issue.
Shaykh Zayed made resolution of the dispute with
the Al Saud a top priority and in 1974 initialed an
agreement allowing for cession by Abu Dhabi of some
territory in the west of the country to Saudi
Arabia in exchange for the establishment of
diplomatic relations (ref A). Due to the highly
sensitive nature of the issue, details are
difficult to confirm. A source of ours in the oil
business told us that most of the Saudi-UAE border
remains unresolved, while the CIA World Factbook
states that the treaties have not been made public.
The exact alignment of the boundary with Saudi
Arabia remains unpublished and is labeled
approximate.


5. (C) The border dispute with Oman carried
significant baggage as the Omanis -- who view the
UAE as part and parcel of historical Oman -- also
refused initially to recognize the UAE. With the
Omani border disagreement finally behind them, the
Emiratis can now focus on the remaining border
disputes. HbZ told the Ambassador October 19 that
the Saudis wanted to discuss maritime borders with
Qatar, and that they had also asked to hold border
consultations with the UAE. HbZ referred to some
of the territory near Shaybah as Emirati land. HbZ
stated that the border issue need to be resolved
and was planning to stop in Riyadh Oct. 20. This
timing did not work out so the visit most likely
will have to wait until after Ramadan.
ALBRIGHT