UAE downplays recent fishing boat seizures

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ABU DHABI 001987

SIPDIS

STATE FOR NEA/ARP AND NEA/NGA

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/15/2014
TAGS: PREL MOPS IR TC
SUBJECT: UAE downplays recent fishing boat seizures

Ref: Abu Dhabi 1881

Classified by Ambassador Marcelle M. Wahba, reasons
1.5 (b) and (d)


1. (C) Summary: Abu Dhabi Deputy Crown Prince and UAE
Armed Forces Chief of Staff Shaykh Mohamed bin Zayed
(MbZ) downplayed the significance of recent seizures
of Iranian and UAE fishing boats by each of their
coast guard forces. Seizures of fishing and smuggling
boats by both sides are relatively common, he told the
Ambassador during a visit to the Embassy to say
farewell to her on June 15. MbZ also said that the
UAE was implementing a comprehensive system to
register and track all UAE registered vessels to make
it easier for the coast guard to distinguish incoming
foreign vessels from afar. End Summary.


2. (C) Shaykh Mohamed told the Ambassador June 15 that
the recent seizures of Iranian and UAE fishing and
smuggling boats by both sides are relatively common.
He said that the six fishing boats from the UAE and
their 23 crew members seized June 13 had all been
apprehended in Iranian waters and said that the UAEG
did not view Iranian actions as inappropriate. He
said they were all owned by the same person, so the
presence of the six boats in Iranian waters had
resulted from one decision. According to the English
language daily "Gulf News" on June 16, the UAE boats
were fishing near the Iranian island of Qeshm. The
newspaper also cited an Iranian state television
report from June 15 that said Iran's navy had seized a
UAE fishing vessel and its five crew near the Iranian
island of Siri.


3. (C) MbZ noted that last year the UAE Coast Guard
had killed 9 Iranians in maritime incidents involving
vessels that were fired upon or rammed for refusing to
stop. In 2002, 13 Iranians were killed. He said that
these incidents have never escalated to the political
level and have generally been dealt with quietly by
consular officers handling the repatriation of bodies.
Responding to the Ambassador's mention of media
coverage of the recent seizures, MbZ said that what
has changed is that the Iranian security chief on Abu
Musa has blown the recent incidents out of proportion
because one of the fishing crews apprehended in UAE
waters was working for him. He said the issue is
about money, not sovereignty, and that is why both
sides have an interest in managing it quietly.


4. (C) MFA Under Secretary Abdullah Rashid Al-Noaimi
also downplayed the incidents during the Ambassador's
farewell call at his office on June 14. "I would not
say there has been an increase (in such seizures),but
it has always been high," he said. He added that the
Iranians also fly surveillance aircraft "all the time"
and these "approach our oil platforms." He did not
see anything suspicious in the latest reports of boats
being seized. The reason the UAE publicized the
recent boat seizures is that the Iranians went public.
He said the crews of the fishing vessels do not have
GPS on board. "They don't know where they're going."


5. (C) We don't have further information on the number
of Iranian and Emirati boats that have been detained
in the past, or are currently being detained, by the
two countries' naval forces. However, an Embassy
contact has told us that Iran has been detaining two
UAE Coast Guard crews after alleged violation of
Iranian territorial waters two months ago.
Furthermore, we have reported that the UAE Coast Guard
had seized an Iranian fishing boat that had entered
territorial waters on June 2 (see reftel).

Improved vessel registration system
--------------


6. (C) MbZ said that the UAE was implementing a
comprehensive system to register and track all UAE
registered vessels. The system, expected to be
operational by July 2005, would provide every UAE
vessel with a bar code that could be monitored from
afar by the coast guard. All vessels, including
dhows, are required to register by May 2005 or they
will be prohibited from entering or departing UAE
ports. MbZ noted that the Qataris were impressed with
the system and wanted to implement something
compatible. In this context, MbZ explained that he
had separated the UAE Coast Guard from the Navy
because their missions were different and the coast
guard's critically important police and border control
function was not getting the right attention under the
Navy.
Comment:
--------------

7. (C) Seizures of fishing boats are normal at this
time of year, according to senior UAEG officials.
Each side is patrolling what it considers its economic
exclusionary zone around the contested islands. We
have no evidence that these actions are in any way
politically motivated.
WAHBA