Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
04ABUDHABI4260
2004-11-28 09:37:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Abu Dhabi
Cable title:
NEW ECONOMY MINISTER PRAISES PRIVATE SECTOR
how-tonull Diana T Fritz 02/05/2007 04:01:01 PM From DB/Inbox: Search Results Cable Text: C O N F I D E N T I A L ABU DHABI 04260 SIPDIS CXABU: ACTION: ECON INFO: P/M AMB DCM POL DISSEMINATION: ECON CHARGE: PROG APPROVED: AMB:MJSISON DRAFTED: ECON:OBJOHN CLEARED: AMB VZCZCADI778 OO RUEHC RUCPDOC RHEHNSC DE RUEHAD #4260 3330937 ZNY CCCCC ZZH O 280937Z NOV 04 FM AMEMBASSY ABU DHABI TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 6938 INFO RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHDC IMMEDIATE RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC IMMEDIATE
C O N F I D E N T I A L ABU DHABI 004260
SIPDIS
STATE FOR EB
STATE FOR NEA, NEA/ARP, NEA/PI
STATE ALSO PASS USTR FOR CATHY NOVELLI
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/27/2014
TAGS: ERTD ECON EINV TC
SUBJECT: NEW ECONOMY MINISTER PRAISES PRIVATE SECTOR
CLASSIFIED BY AMBASSADOR MICHELE J. SISON FOR REASONS 1.4 (B
AND D)
C O N F I D E N T I A L ABU DHABI 004260
SIPDIS
STATE FOR EB
STATE FOR NEA, NEA/ARP, NEA/PI
STATE ALSO PASS USTR FOR CATHY NOVELLI
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/27/2014
TAGS: ERTD ECON EINV TC
SUBJECT: NEW ECONOMY MINISTER PRAISES PRIVATE SECTOR
CLASSIFIED BY AMBASSADOR MICHELE J. SISON FOR REASONS 1.4 (B
AND D)
1. (C) Ambassador called on Sheikha Lubna Al-Qasimi, the New
Minister of Economy and Planning, on November 27 to
congratulate her on assuming her role as the first UAE woman
cabinet member. Sheikha Lubna commented that, in her view,
the cabinet shake up reflected the UAEG's effort to bring in
private sector blood into the government, noting that she and
the new ministers of Communications and Energy had all come
from the private sector. The fact that UAE President Zayed
had appointed her (in one of his last official actions) was
especially important to her.
2. (C) Sheikha Lubna noted that she thought the role of
government was to make &good regulations to empower the
private sector.8 Sheikha Lubna said that she remains on the
board of Thunderbird School of Management and a member of the
American Business Council, although she will step down from
her active role as CEO of Tegairi.com, an online
business-to-business market place. Her ministry's focus
would be to ensure that the UAE is ready to face the
challenge of globalization. In fact, her first ministerial
visit will be to Doha December 5-6 to participate in a G-77
conference on trade and investment issues.
3. (SBU) Ambassador and Sheikha Lubna discussed the UAEG,s
proposal to send a working level team to Washington to meet
with key business and Congressional leaders on UAE,s desire
to pursue an FTA with the United States. In Sheikha Lubna,s
view, the UAEG needed to reach out aggressively to the USG
and also to its own business community on the FTA. She noted
that the UAE Agencies Law was a sensitive issue for the UAEG,
adding that some of the established local agents would be
opposed to any change. She suggested that the USG look at a
transition period for established agency agreements and not
push to resolve this issue in the first negotiating round.
Ambassador also briefed the Minister on the Arab League
Boycott case of Netafim USA and emphasized that this was an
issue that needed to be solved.
4. (C) Comment: Sheikha Lubna will be an excellent addition
to the UAEG cabinet. She has an aggressively pro-free
market/pro-free trade view, as well as a close working
relationship with the US mission. Her first official actions
have been to issue decrees setting up the new &International
Real Estate Development Company,8 a private joint stock
company, and the new &Arab Technical Construction Company,8
a public joint stock company on November 27. End Comment.
SISON
SIPDIS
STATE FOR EB
STATE FOR NEA, NEA/ARP, NEA/PI
STATE ALSO PASS USTR FOR CATHY NOVELLI
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/27/2014
TAGS: ERTD ECON EINV TC
SUBJECT: NEW ECONOMY MINISTER PRAISES PRIVATE SECTOR
CLASSIFIED BY AMBASSADOR MICHELE J. SISON FOR REASONS 1.4 (B
AND D)
1. (C) Ambassador called on Sheikha Lubna Al-Qasimi, the New
Minister of Economy and Planning, on November 27 to
congratulate her on assuming her role as the first UAE woman
cabinet member. Sheikha Lubna commented that, in her view,
the cabinet shake up reflected the UAEG's effort to bring in
private sector blood into the government, noting that she and
the new ministers of Communications and Energy had all come
from the private sector. The fact that UAE President Zayed
had appointed her (in one of his last official actions) was
especially important to her.
2. (C) Sheikha Lubna noted that she thought the role of
government was to make &good regulations to empower the
private sector.8 Sheikha Lubna said that she remains on the
board of Thunderbird School of Management and a member of the
American Business Council, although she will step down from
her active role as CEO of Tegairi.com, an online
business-to-business market place. Her ministry's focus
would be to ensure that the UAE is ready to face the
challenge of globalization. In fact, her first ministerial
visit will be to Doha December 5-6 to participate in a G-77
conference on trade and investment issues.
3. (SBU) Ambassador and Sheikha Lubna discussed the UAEG,s
proposal to send a working level team to Washington to meet
with key business and Congressional leaders on UAE,s desire
to pursue an FTA with the United States. In Sheikha Lubna,s
view, the UAEG needed to reach out aggressively to the USG
and also to its own business community on the FTA. She noted
that the UAE Agencies Law was a sensitive issue for the UAEG,
adding that some of the established local agents would be
opposed to any change. She suggested that the USG look at a
transition period for established agency agreements and not
push to resolve this issue in the first negotiating round.
Ambassador also briefed the Minister on the Arab League
Boycott case of Netafim USA and emphasized that this was an
issue that needed to be solved.
4. (C) Comment: Sheikha Lubna will be an excellent addition
to the UAEG cabinet. She has an aggressively pro-free
market/pro-free trade view, as well as a close working
relationship with the US mission. Her first official actions
have been to issue decrees setting up the new &International
Real Estate Development Company,8 a private joint stock
company, and the new &Arab Technical Construction Company,8
a public joint stock company on November 27. End Comment.
SISON