Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
04ABUDHABI3205
2004-09-15 11:47:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Abu Dhabi
Cable title:
ARAB LEAGUE BOYCOTT: THE UAE WILL NOT BOYCOTT
how-tonull Diana T Fritz 02/05/2007 05:36:24 PM From DB/Inbox: Search Results Cable Text: C O N F I D E N T I A L ABU DHABI 03205 SIPDIS CXABU: ACTION: ECON INFO: MEPI FCS P/M AMB DCM POL DISSEMINATION: ECON CHARGE: PROG APPROVED: AMB:MSISON DRAFTED: ECON:OJOHN CLEARED: NONE VZCZCADI682 OO RUEHC RUCPDOC RHEHNSC DE RUEHAD #3205 2591147 ZNY CCCCC ZZH O 151147Z SEP 04 FM AMEMBASSY ABU DHABI TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 5942 INFO RUCPDOC/USDOC WASHDC RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
C O N F I D E N T I A L ABU DHABI 003205
SIPDIS
STATE FOR EB A/S WAYNE AND DAS DONNELY
STATE FOR NEA, NEA/ARP, NEA/PI
STATE PASS USTR FOR CATHY NOVELLI
USDOC FOR BIS/NWEANT
E.O. 12958: DECL 9/15/14
TAGS: KBCT KMPI ECON ETRD TC
SUBJECT: ARAB LEAGUE BOYCOTT: THE UAE WILL NOT BOYCOTT
U.S. COMPANIES
CLASSIFIED BY AMBASSADOR MICHELE SISON FOR REASONS 1.5 (B
AND D)
REF: ABU DHABI 3054
C O N F I D E N T I A L ABU DHABI 003205
SIPDIS
STATE FOR EB A/S WAYNE AND DAS DONNELY
STATE FOR NEA, NEA/ARP, NEA/PI
STATE PASS USTR FOR CATHY NOVELLI
USDOC FOR BIS/NWEANT
E.O. 12958: DECL 9/15/14
TAGS: KBCT KMPI ECON ETRD TC
SUBJECT: ARAB LEAGUE BOYCOTT: THE UAE WILL NOT BOYCOTT
U.S. COMPANIES
CLASSIFIED BY AMBASSADOR MICHELE SISON FOR REASONS 1.5 (B
AND D)
REF: ABU DHABI 3054
1. (U) This is an action request. Please see paragraph 6.
2. (SBU) Summary: MFA U/S Abdulla Rashid Al-Noaimi
(defacto number 2) told the Ambassador on September 15 that
the UAE had renounced implementation of the Secondary and
Tertiary aspects of the Arab League Boycott and would not
boycott any U.S. company, "no matter what Damascus
decides." He emphasized that it would not make sense at
all for the UAE to boycott U.S. companies when the UAE was
clearly interested in moving toward a FTA with the U.S.
Al-Noaimi promised to try and resolve the specific case of
Netafim (reftel) before the October 4 TIFA council meeting
and asked for more information to work on resolving the
more systemic problem of prohibited boycott requests. He
was perturbed by the data provided by the Ambassador that
showed an increase over the past year in prohibited
requests. End Summary.
3. (SBU) Ambassador and EconChief called on MFA U/S Al-
Noaimi on September 15 to voice strong concern about
increases in prohibited boycott requests in the UAE over
the last two years. Ambassador explained that the number
of prohibited requests has increased to 71 in the first 6
months of this year from 60 in the first six months of last
year. She provided Al-Noaimi with data and specific
examples of prohibited language, noting that the
information had already been shared with senior UAEG
officials at the Ministry of Economy and Commerce and the
Ministry of Finance and Industry. She stressed that the
USG's position on the boycott was a matter of law and that,
if not resolved, this problem would have a negative impact
on the UAE's efforts to move to FTA negotiations. AUSTR
Cathy Novelli had already spelled out these concerns to UAE
Ambassador Al Asri Al Dhari on July 16 in Washington, she
added.
4. (SBU) Al-Noaimi replied that the UAE had no interest in
boycotting U.S. companies. He added that it made "no
sense" to boycott a U.S. company when the UAE was
interested in negotiating a FTA with the U.S. He then
asked for as much additional information as we could
provide on the specifics of prohibited boycott requests by
Saturday, September 17, so that he could go to Ministry of
Economy/Commerce counterparts to work through the systemic
problems of obsolete forms and entrenched bureaucrats. He
agreed that this needed to be fixed.
5. (C) Ambassador then raised the specific case of Netafim
USA and explained that the UAE anti boycott office had
informed this American company that it considered it an
Israeli company and subject to the boycott. Al-Noaimi
said, "I don't care if it is 'an Israeli company.' If it
is incorporated in the U.S., it is an American company."
He emphasized that, whatever decision the Arab League
Boycott Office in Damascus took on listing a company, if it
was an American company, "it was a UAE decision, not a
Damascus decision, and the UAE wants American companies
here." Al-Noaimi said "let's resolve this before the TIFA
Council meeting in October." He noted that the Ministry of
Economy and Commerce had a number of third country
nationals and bureaucrats who "didn't always have the best
interest of the country at heart" or necessarily understand
UAEG policy imperatives. The 1994 UAEG renunciation of the
secondary and tertiary aspects of the boycott was UAEG
policy, he emphasized.
6. (SBU) Comment and Action Request: Ambassador stressed
the importance of this issue and its negative effect on any
potential FTA negotiations. Al-Noaimi focused quickly on
the urgency of solving the practical problems facing U.S.
companies in the UAE. The Ambassador intends to raise the
boycott issue with Deputy Prime Minister/Minister of State
for Foreign Affairs Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed on Tuesday,
September 26. We will also be following up with the
Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Finance to monitor
progress on the prohibited requests issue. We request that
the Department of Commerce anti-boycott office provide us
with further details and information that we can pass to
the MFA by Friday September 17 on prohibited boycott
requests. End Comment and Action Request.
Sison
SIPDIS
STATE FOR EB A/S WAYNE AND DAS DONNELY
STATE FOR NEA, NEA/ARP, NEA/PI
STATE PASS USTR FOR CATHY NOVELLI
USDOC FOR BIS/NWEANT
E.O. 12958: DECL 9/15/14
TAGS: KBCT KMPI ECON ETRD TC
SUBJECT: ARAB LEAGUE BOYCOTT: THE UAE WILL NOT BOYCOTT
U.S. COMPANIES
CLASSIFIED BY AMBASSADOR MICHELE SISON FOR REASONS 1.5 (B
AND D)
REF: ABU DHABI 3054
1. (U) This is an action request. Please see paragraph 6.
2. (SBU) Summary: MFA U/S Abdulla Rashid Al-Noaimi
(defacto number 2) told the Ambassador on September 15 that
the UAE had renounced implementation of the Secondary and
Tertiary aspects of the Arab League Boycott and would not
boycott any U.S. company, "no matter what Damascus
decides." He emphasized that it would not make sense at
all for the UAE to boycott U.S. companies when the UAE was
clearly interested in moving toward a FTA with the U.S.
Al-Noaimi promised to try and resolve the specific case of
Netafim (reftel) before the October 4 TIFA council meeting
and asked for more information to work on resolving the
more systemic problem of prohibited boycott requests. He
was perturbed by the data provided by the Ambassador that
showed an increase over the past year in prohibited
requests. End Summary.
3. (SBU) Ambassador and EconChief called on MFA U/S Al-
Noaimi on September 15 to voice strong concern about
increases in prohibited boycott requests in the UAE over
the last two years. Ambassador explained that the number
of prohibited requests has increased to 71 in the first 6
months of this year from 60 in the first six months of last
year. She provided Al-Noaimi with data and specific
examples of prohibited language, noting that the
information had already been shared with senior UAEG
officials at the Ministry of Economy and Commerce and the
Ministry of Finance and Industry. She stressed that the
USG's position on the boycott was a matter of law and that,
if not resolved, this problem would have a negative impact
on the UAE's efforts to move to FTA negotiations. AUSTR
Cathy Novelli had already spelled out these concerns to UAE
Ambassador Al Asri Al Dhari on July 16 in Washington, she
added.
4. (SBU) Al-Noaimi replied that the UAE had no interest in
boycotting U.S. companies. He added that it made "no
sense" to boycott a U.S. company when the UAE was
interested in negotiating a FTA with the U.S. He then
asked for as much additional information as we could
provide on the specifics of prohibited boycott requests by
Saturday, September 17, so that he could go to Ministry of
Economy/Commerce counterparts to work through the systemic
problems of obsolete forms and entrenched bureaucrats. He
agreed that this needed to be fixed.
5. (C) Ambassador then raised the specific case of Netafim
USA and explained that the UAE anti boycott office had
informed this American company that it considered it an
Israeli company and subject to the boycott. Al-Noaimi
said, "I don't care if it is 'an Israeli company.' If it
is incorporated in the U.S., it is an American company."
He emphasized that, whatever decision the Arab League
Boycott Office in Damascus took on listing a company, if it
was an American company, "it was a UAE decision, not a
Damascus decision, and the UAE wants American companies
here." Al-Noaimi said "let's resolve this before the TIFA
Council meeting in October." He noted that the Ministry of
Economy and Commerce had a number of third country
nationals and bureaucrats who "didn't always have the best
interest of the country at heart" or necessarily understand
UAEG policy imperatives. The 1994 UAEG renunciation of the
secondary and tertiary aspects of the boycott was UAEG
policy, he emphasized.
6. (SBU) Comment and Action Request: Ambassador stressed
the importance of this issue and its negative effect on any
potential FTA negotiations. Al-Noaimi focused quickly on
the urgency of solving the practical problems facing U.S.
companies in the UAE. The Ambassador intends to raise the
boycott issue with Deputy Prime Minister/Minister of State
for Foreign Affairs Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed on Tuesday,
September 26. We will also be following up with the
Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Finance to monitor
progress on the prohibited requests issue. We request that
the Department of Commerce anti-boycott office provide us
with further details and information that we can pass to
the MFA by Friday September 17 on prohibited boycott
requests. End Comment and Action Request.
Sison