Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
04ABUDHABI2061
2004-06-22 14:04:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Abu Dhabi
Cable title:  

VIEWS ON QATAR-SAUDI MEETING, QATAR'S TIES

Tags:  PREL QA TC 
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Diana T Fritz 02/06/2007 05:34:32 PM From DB/Inbox: Search Results

Cable 
Text: 
 
 
CONFIDENTIAL

SIPDIS
TELEGRAM June 22, 2004


To: No Action Addressee 

Action: Unknown 

From: AMEMBASSY ABU DHABI (ABU DHABI 2061 - ROUTINE) 

TAGS: PREL 

Captions: None 

Subject: VIEWS ON QATAR-SAUDI MEETING, QATAR'S TIES WITH THE UAE

Ref: None 
_________________________________________________________________
C O N F I D E N T I A L ABU DHABI 02061

SIPDIS
CXABU:
 ACTION: POL 
 INFO: RSO AMB DCM P/M ECON 

DISSEMINATION: POL
CHARGE: PROG

APPROVED: CDA:RAALBRIGHT
DRAFTED: POL:JFMAYBURY
CLEARED: DAO:BKERINS

VZCZCADI520
RR RUEHC RUEHZM
DE RUEHAD #2061 1741404
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 221404Z JUN 04
FM AMEMBASSY ABU DHABI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4824
INFO RUEHZM/GULF COOPERATION COUNCIL COLLECTIVE
C O N F I D E N T I A L ABU DHABI 002061 

SIPDIS

STATE FOR NEA/ARP

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/21/2009
TAGS: PREL QA TC
SUBJECT: VIEWS ON QATAR-SAUDI MEETING, QATAR'S TIES
WITH THE UAE

Classified by Richard A. Albright, Charge d'Affaires,
a.i., reasons 1.5 (b) and (d).

C O N F I D E N T I A L ABU DHABI 002061

SIPDIS

STATE FOR NEA/ARP

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/21/2009
TAGS: PREL QA TC
SUBJECT: VIEWS ON QATAR-SAUDI MEETING, QATAR'S TIES
WITH THE UAE

Classified by Richard A. Albright, Charge d'Affaires,
a.i., reasons 1.5 (b) and (d).


1. (C) In farewell calls with the Ambassador, the
Qatari Ambassador to the UAE, Abdullah Al-Othman, and
Abu Dhabi Deputy Crown Prince and Chief of Staff of
the UAE Armed Forces, Shaykh Mohamed bin Zayed (MbZ),
gave their respective readouts on the recent Qatar-
Saudi talks, and on the Qatari Crown Prince's June 13-
14 visit to the UAE.

Qatar-Saudi talks
--------------


2. (C) The Qatari Ambassador, Abdullah Al-Othman, said
on June 15 that meetings between the Qatari Emir,
Shaykh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, and senior Saudis,
including Prince Salman bin Abdelaziz, the Governor of
Riyadh, were a good start at improving relations. The
meetings were arranged by Kuwait on a yacht off the
southern coast of France. The Qatari Ambassador said
that the Qataris were appreciative of Kuwait having
brokered the meetings and said that that two future
meetings would take place in Europe, but without the
Kuwaitis. In a separate meeting with the Ambassador
on June 14, MbZ said he doubted that relations could
improve much further without the Qataris reining in Al
Jazeera television. The only way to deal with radical
television personalities at Al-Jazeera -- MbZ cited
Feisal Al-Qassim (moderator of "The Opposite
Direction") and Shaykh Yousef Al-Qardawi (talk show
host and religious expert) -- was to get rid of them.
(Note: MbZ has made his views on Al-Jazeera known to
the Qataris on several occasions. End note.) MbZ
thought that Crown Prince Abdullah and the Emir Hamed
would have to meet in person to make real progress.


3. (C) The Qatari Ambassador said the Qatari
leadership viewed the Saudis as being very tired. The
Saudis are under a lot of pressure and seemed visibly
scared, he said. Al-Othman added that the Qataris had
conveyed the message that the SAG could get away with
lying to the people some of the time, but not all the
time. (Comment: It strikes us as highly unlikely
that such a message could have been delivered with
this bluntness. End comment.)

Qatari Crown Prince's visit to UAE
--------------


4. (C) Qatari Crown Prince Shaykh Tamim bin Hamad Al-
Thani made his third visit to the UAE June 13-14 at
the invitation of UAE Crown Prince Shaykh Khalifa bin
Zayed. The greeting party included Shaykh Khalifa,
Deputy Prime Minister Shaykh Sultan bin Zayed, MbZ,
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for
Foreign Affairs Shaykh Hamdan bin Zayed (HbZ),and
Saeed Al-Kindi, Speaker of the Federal National
Council. Shaykh Khalifa hosted him for lunch on a
private island, and MbZ and HbZ gave Tamim a tour of
the Abu Dhabi Ship-building Company. MbZ told the
Ambassador that the Qataris were interested in the
shipyards for both their coast guard and for
recreational yachts. (Note: France and the UAE are
co-producing Corvette patrol craft at the shipyards as
part of the Emiratis' plan to modernize their navy.
End note.) The Qatari Ambassador said that the visit
had generated no new agreements or projects, but that
it had propelled political, economic, and commercial
relations.
ALBRIGHT