Reassuring Gulf governments of U.S.

S E C R E T ABU DHABI 000277

SIPDIS

STATE FOR NEA/NGA AND NEA/ARP

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/26/14
TAGS: PREL IZ TC
SUBJECT: Reassuring Gulf governments of U.S.
commitment to Iraq's territorial
integrity

Ref: (A) State 14218, (B) Abu Dhabi 211

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


1. (S) On January 26 the Ambassador delivered ref A talking
points to Deputy Prime Minister and de facto Foreign
Minister Shaykh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan (HbZ) who said
the UAEG was comfortable with the U.S. approach for a
sovereign and unified Iraq. HbZ also underscored the very
important role that the UN can play in shaping Iraq's
political future. HbZ commented that it was important for
Iraq, the region, and the international community for the
UN to lend its voice and play a role in helping manage the
transition from the CPA to a sovereign Iraqi government.
As reported in ref B, HbZ wants the Iraqis to understand
that it is not the U.S. alone that is driving the political
transition in Iraq, but that the UN supports the U.S.


2. (S) HbZ also told the Ambassador about his January 25
meeting with Adnan Pachachi, the Iraq Governing Council's
president for the month of January. He said that Pachachi
had briefed him about his discussions in Washington and was
comfortable with the U.S. approach to the transition period
in Iraq.


3. (S) Comment: The talking points, which were left with
HbZ as a non-paper, were a very helpful reassurance for HbZ
who only a week earlier (see ref B) had told the Ambassador
that he was deeply concerned about the possibility of
further sectarian conflict in Iraq. As an aside, the head
of the Iraqi Liaison Office, Kussay Mahdi Salih, told
Polchief on January 25 that it would be a grave mistake for
the U.S. to allow a Shi'a like the Grand Ayatollah Al
SISTANI to lead Iraq in the future because he fears they
would transform Iraq into another Iran.

WAHBA