UAE HAS UNFINISHED BUSINESS OVER ITS BORDER

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 ABU DHABI 001989

SIPDIS

STATE FOR NEA/ARP

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/15/2014
TAGS: PREL SA TC
SUBJECT: UAE HAS UNFINISHED BUSINESS OVER ITS BORDER
WITH SAUDI ARABIA

Ref: 03 Abu Dhabi 4764

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


1. (S) Summary: Thirty years after signing an
agreement with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia over their
common border, the UAE Government still views three
issues as unsettled and needing discussion:
exploitation of the Zarrarah/Shaybah oil field; the
maritime border between Saudi Arabia and the UAE; and
the delimitation of the convergence point of the tri-
border area between the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Oman.
MFA Under Secretary Abdullah Rashid Al-Nuaimi briefed
the Ambassador on the situation during her farewell
call at his MFA office on June 14. UAE Deputy Prime
Minister and Minister of State for Foreign Affairs
Shaykh Hamdan bin Zayed Al-Nahyan (HbZ) had earlier
told the Ambassador about an exchange of letters he
had had with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-
Faisal, in which the two disagreed over the need to
review the 1974 agreement. Abdullah Rashid said he
expects the border issue will have to be raised to the
level of their two Crown Princes. End Summary.


2. (S) During the Ambassador's farewell call on MFA
Under Secretary Abdullah Rashid Al-Nuaimi, she
inquired about the UAE-Saudi border issue and a recent
exchange of letters on the same issue between UAE
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for
Foreign Affairs Shaykh Hamdan and the Saudi Foreign
Minister. Shaykh Hamdan had mentioned the two
strongly worded letters to the Ambassador in an
earlier conversation. Abdullah Rashid provided some
background to the dispute, saying that after the two
countries had signed a border agreement in 1974, the
UAE realized it had conceded more than it should have.
It was a case of "force majeur," he said. In 1974,
the newly federated Emirates were in a "to-be-or-not-
to-be" position and badly needed Saudi recognition.
He noted that the period was marked by border disputes
with all neighbors and until the agreement, Saudi
Arabia had refused to recognize UAE passports.

Three issues: oil, maritime rights, tri-border area
-------------- --------------


3. (S) While the UAE recognizes the land border
between its territory and Saudi Arabia, as established
by the 1974 agreement, there are three issues that it
wishes to revisit with the Saudis, Abdullah Rashid
said. The first issue has to do with the rights to
the Zarrarah (UAE side)/Shaybah (Saudi side) oil field
that lies under both sides of the UAE-Saudi border.
The majority of the field is in Saudi territory. The
1974 agreement stipulates that the UAE may not drill
for oil in Zarrarah. "The UAE thinks it is not fair
that we cannot utilize this," Abdullah Rashid said.


4. (S) The second issue relates to the UAE-Saudi
maritime border. Abdullah Rashid said the 1974
agreement did not clearly demarcate the border at sea.
What the Emiratis are seeking is to define the
maritime border in such a way that the UAE would have
some contiguous waters with Qatar. "We don't want to
be separated from the Qataris by a slice of Saudi
waters," he said.


5. (S) Abdullah Rashid told the Ambassador that the
third issue the UAE would like to revisit concerns the
tri-border area between the UAE, Oman, and Saudi
Arabia. The Saudis and Omanis have agreed to their
common border, and the Saudis and Emiratis have agreed
to theirs. However, these two agreements specify
different points of convergence. The Emiratis would
like there to be a trilateral agreement on the points
of convergence. (Note: The UAE and Oman resolved
their remaining border issues last fall (see reftel)).

Revisiting the 1974 agreement
--------------


6. (S) As far as the Saudis are concerned, the 1974
border agreement with the UAE has been implemented and
there is no need for further discussion. "They say
it's finished," Abdullah Rashid said, adding that the
UAE is seeking agreement on the three points. "We are
not asking to renegotiate," he said. He told the
Ambassador that the UAE would like to resolve the
remaining UAE-Saudi border issues just as it had
resolved issues with Oman. Only the dispute with Iran
over the islands would remain.


7. (S) The Ambassador asked Abdullah Rashid if he
thought the border dispute could be resolved by HbZ
and Prince Saud, or would it have to be raised at the
level of Crown Prince Abdullah. Abdullah Rashid
expected it would require attention at a higher level.
"We don't want to make it a problem," he said. "It's
a process."

Comment:
--------------


8. (S) If the UAE insists on revisiting its 1974
border agreement with the Saudis, it will have to
significantly ratchet up its diplomatic activity to do
so, by raising the issue with Crown Prince Abdullah.
We expect that obtaining Saudi agreement to UAE
drilling on the Zarrarah oil field will be an uphill
battle.

WAHBA