UAEG urges U.S. to give UN greater

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ABU DHABI 000211

SIPDIS

STATE FOR NEA/NGA AND NEA/ARP

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/19/14
TAGS: PREL IZ TC
SUBJECT: UAEG urges U.S. to give UN greater
role, cautions against premature
elections

Classified by Ambassador Marcelle M. Wahba,
Reasons 1.5 (B) and (D).


1. (C) Summary: In separate discussions this
week with the Ambassador about current
developments in Iraq, de facto Foreign Minister
Shaykh Hamdan bin Zayed (HbZ) and DMI Director
Brigadier Mohammed Saif Al Neyadi urged the
United States to allow the UN to play a larger
role in Iraq's political transition, expressed
support for a multiethnic government, and
cautioned about holding elections prematurely.
The UAEG had a negative reaction to the
appointment of Lakhdar Brahimi as the UN's new
Special Envoy to Iraq. End Summary.

HbZ on the UN's role, calming the Shi'a
--------------


2. (C) Deputy Prime Minister and de facto
Foreign Minister Shaykh Hamdan bin Zayed (HbZ)
told the Ambassador on January 17 that the UN
has a very important role to play in Iraq. He
urged the United States to work hard to bring
the UN into Iraq's political process. The U.S.
should not allow Grand Ayatollah Ali Al Sistani
and the Shi'a to take advantage of the current
situation in Iraq, or to attempt to cause a rift
between the U.S. and the UN, he said. All
Iraqis need to understand that it is not the
U.S. alone that is driving the political
transition in Iraq. Iraqis need to understand
that the UN supports the U.S., and that the two
have a good working relationship, HbZ said.
There is global consensus on what needs to
happen in the next six to 12 months in Iraq, he
added.


3. (C) HbZ continued by saying that the UAE was
deeply concerned about the possibility of
further sectarian conflict in Iraq. The last
thing anyone needs now, he said, is to have
Sistani issue fatwas against Coalition forces,
and have the Shi'a community out into the
streets. That would be detrimental to all of
our interests in the Gulf, he said. "We don't
want a confrontational relationship between the
U.S. and Shi'a that brings people out into the
streets." HbZ said that bringing the UN into
the process would keep the temperature down in
the Shi'a community. If the Shi'a see the UN
and U.S. working together, they would see that
there is no other option, and they would avoid
open confrontation by issuing fatwas to pressure
the U.S.

Criticism for new UN Special Envoy
--------------


4. (C) HbZ was critical about Lakhdar Brahimi's
"very questionable" appointment as the SYG's
Special Envoy to Baghdad. The UAE does not
regard Brahimi as a very reliable person. His
main goal in life, according to HbZ, is to get
the Nobel Peace price for himself and he sees
everything through that prism. The UAE learned
firsthand in Afghanistan that Brahimi is a self-
promoter. HbZ said Brahimi often used the SYG's
name to advance his personal interests.

DMI Director assesses situation on the ground
--------------


5. (C) The Ambassador also discussed current
events in Iraq with UAE Directorate of Military
Intelligence (DMI) Director, Brigadier Mohamed
Saif Al Neyadi. He told the Ambassador that the
so-called resistance in Iraq had lost its focus
and organizational structure. "We believe these
attacks are not well thought out. They have
lost their focus and now Iraqis are being
killed. This will not sit well with the Iraqi
population."


6. (C) Al Neyadi said that the UAE believes a
multiethnic government is the best course to
follow in the future. The majority of the Shi'a
population, including Sistani, look to Iran as a
model, which Emiratis do not view as a
democracy, he said. A balance of all the ethnic
and religious groups in a future democratic
government is necessary.

7. (C) The November 13 agreement between the CPA
and the Iraq Governing Council mapping out a
plan for Iraqi sovereignty is the best way to
move forward, Al Neyadi said. However, open
elections at this time are too dangerous for the
future of Iraq, particularly when the society is
polarized. There are Iraqis from the outside
who have a Western vision of the future clashing
with insiders who are holding on to the old way
of thinking. There are Sunnis who want to bring
the Baathists back, and there are Shi'a who want
to adopt the Iran model. Al Neyadi said he
believes open elections should wait until there
has been a development of political parties and
political movements that reflect the center of
the political spectrum instead of the extreme
views. "We believe this will take time. Open
elections are too dangerous at the present
time," he said.


8. (C) Al Neyadi also told the Ambassador that
DMI has assets throughout Iraq, from the cities
in the south to the regions of the north, as
well as in Baghdad. Some are attached to the
Red Crescent teams. This comprehensive coverage
means DMI has a very good understanding of
what's going on inside Iraq.

WAHBA