BIOMETRICS STIR THE POT IN THE UAE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ABU DHABI 005034

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

STATE FOR CA/FO; CA/EX; CA/VO; NEA/FO; NEA/ARP; NEA/PPD

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: CMGT CVIS KPAO TC
SUBJECT: BIOMETRICS STIR THE POT IN THE UAE

REFS: (A) STATE 297152


1. SUMMARY: THE PUBLIC AFFAIRS AND CONSULAR SECTION IN ABU DHABI
HOSTED A PRESS BRIEFING ON THE FINGERPRINTING OF NIV APPLICANTS
AT THE US EMBASSY. IN ADDITION, DEPUTY CHIEF OF MISSION (DCM)
AND CONSULAR CHIEF BRIEFED THE DIRECTOR OF CONSULAR AFFAIRS AT
THE UAE MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS (MFA) ON THE NEW
FINGERPRINTING PROCEDURES AT THE EMBASSY. NEWSPAPERS PUBLISHED
ACCURATE, INFORMATIONAL STORIES AND THE DIRECTOR OF CONSULAR
AFFAIRS EXPRESSED HIS UNDERSTANDING. ALTHOUGH ONE UAE OFFICIAL
HAS REFUSED TO BE FINGERPRINTED SAYING HE WAS BEING TREATED LIKE
A "CRIMINAL," THE UAE'S MAJORITY THIRD-COUNTRY NATIONALS (TCN)
ARE TAKING IT ALL IN STRIDE, ALREADY SUBJECT TO FINGERPRINTING
AND RETINAL SCANS BY THE UAE AND EMIRATE-LEVEL GOVERNMENTS. END
SUMMARY.

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BIOMETRICS AND MORE - A NEW BEGINNING IN THE UAE
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2. BEGINNING IN OCTOBER 23, 2003, A VISITING ORKAND TEAM BEGAN
INSTALLING FINGERPRINTING COLLECTION DEVICES AT THE INTERVIEW
WINDOWS IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE CONSULAR SECTION'S ROUTINE
COMPUTER UPGRADE SCHEDULE. FOLLOWING INSTALLATION, THE CONSULAR
SECTION BEGAN COLLECTING FINGERPRINTS FROM THE REQUIRED NIV
APPLICANTS ON SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2003.


3. IN RESPONSE TO STATE 297152, THE CONSULAR SECTION WORKED WITH
THE PUBLIC AFFAIRS SECTION (PAS) TO INFORM THE PUBLIC ABOUT THE
NEW BIOMETRIC COLLECTION PROCEDURES. TO DO SO, PAS INVITED
JOURNALISTS AND PHOTOGRAPHERS FROM ALL UAE ENGLISH AND ARABIC
DAILIES FOR A ONE-HOUR BRIEFING BY CONSULAR AND PA STAFF. UPON
ARRIVAL, JOURNALISTS WERE PROVIDED ENGLISH AND ARABIC PRESS
RELEASES DRAWING UPON REFTEL TALKING POINTS AND MAY 6 AND
SEPTEMBER 24, 2003, CA PRESS GUIDANCE. VICE CONSUL AND PAS
INFORMATION SPECIALIST THEN DEMONSTRATED THE FINGERPRINTING
TECHNIQUES TO THE JOURNALISTS. JOURNALISTS VIEWED THE
DEMONSTRATION TWICE - IN FRONT OF AND BEHIND THE CONSULAR WINDOW.


4. AFTER THE DEMONSTRATION, PAO AND VICE CONSUL TOOK QUESTIONS
FROM THE PRESS, JOURNALISTS FOCUSED PRIMARILY ON THE
APPROPRIATENESS OF FINGERPRINTING AND QUESTIONED WHETHER OR NOT
THE FINGERPRINTING WAS FOCUSED ON ARAB AND MUSLIM AUDIENCES. VICE
CONSUL RESPONDED THAT THIS WAS NOT THE CASE, AND, AS REASSURANCE,
SHOWED JOURNALISTS THE STACKS OF OLD COMPUTERS THE ORKAND TEAM
HAS JUST FINISHED REPLACING WITH NEW PENTIUM IV SYSTEMS.
(COMMENT: WE RECOMMEND OTHER POSTS DO THE SAME IF POSSIBLE, AS
THIS SEEMED CONVINCING TO THE JOURNALISTS PRESENT. END COMMENT.)


5. ON THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 6, JOURNALISTS PUBLISHED THEIR STORIES.
ALL ARTICLES COVERED THE INFORMATION PROVIDED TO JOURNALISTS,
INCLUDING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF FINGERPRINTING SOLELY BASED ON
ROUTINE MAINTENANCE SCHEDULES AND MENTIONING FRANKFURT, BRUSSELS,
SAN SALVADOR, AND GUATEMALA CITY AS THE FIRST FINGERPRINTING
POSTS.

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UAE REACTION - IT'S NOT SO GREAT WHEN IT HAPPENS TO YOU!
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6. IN A NOVEMBER 9 MEETING WITH THE DIRECTOR OF CONSULAR AFFAIRS
AT THE MFA, DCM EXPLAINED THE NEW FINGERPRINTING PROCEDURES. THE
DIRECTOR OF CONSULAR AFFAIRS EXPRESSED HIS UNDERSTANDING OF THE
NEED TO MOVE TOWARDS BIOMETRICS TO ENHANCE THE SECURITY OF THE
UNITED STATES. HE BRIEFLY COMMENTED ON THE RETINAL SCANS IN PLACE
AT UAE PORTS OF ENTRY FOR CERTAIN CATEGORIES OF VISITORS TO THE
UAE, IN PARTICULAR WORKERS FROM INDIA, PAKISTAN AND BANGLADESH.
HE EXPRESSED SATISFACTION THAT FINGERPRINTING DID NOT APPLY TO A-
1 AND A-2 VISA CATEGORIES.


7. COMMENT: PUBLIC REACTION TO THE INITIATION OF FINGERPRINTING
OF NIV APPLICANTS HAS BEEN MIXED. THE UAE POPULATION IS MORE
DISTURBED BY THE PROSPECT OF FINGERPRINTING THAN THE UAE'S
MAJORITY TCN POPULATION. CONSULAR STAFF HAVE NOT RECEIVED
COMPLAINTS FROM TCN APPLICANTS, WHO HAVE THEIR FINGERPRINTS TAKEN
FOR RESIDENCE VISAS AND IDS BY FEDERAL AND EMIRATE-LEVEL
GOVERNMENTS. CERTAIN TCNS ARE ALSO SUBJECT TO RETINAL SCANS AT
UAE AIRPORTS.


8. REACTION BY UAE NATIONALS, ON THE OTHER HAND, REMAINS MIXED.
THE VAST MAJORITY OF UAE NATIONAL STUDENT AND TOURIST VISA
APPLICANTS HAVE COMPLIED QUIETLY AND CALMY WHEN REQUESTED FOR
THEIR FINGERPRINTS. THE PROSPECT FOR TURMOIL WITH GOVERNMENT
OFFICIALS AND PROMINENT UAE NATIONALS, HOWEVER, REMAINS TO BE
SEEN. ONE UAE SENIOR UNIVERSITY ADMINISTRATOR OFFICIAL, THE
SUBJECT OF A CLASS A VISA REFERRAL, REFUSED TO COME TO THE
EMBASSY AND TOLD PAS STAFF THAT HE "WOULD NOT BE TREATED LIKE A
CRIMINAL." THIS REACTION ONLY STRESSES THE CONTINUING NEED TO
INFORM APPLICANTS THAT BIOMETRIC CAPTURE CAPABILITY NOT ONLY
ENHANCES NATIONAL BORDER SECURITY TO THE BENEFIT OF U.S. CITIZENS
AND PERMANENT RESIDENTS, BUT INCREASES THE SAFETY AND SECURITY OF
VISITORS TO THE UNITED STATES AS WELL. END COMMENT.

WAHBA