UAE: U.S.-EU DIALOGUE

UNCLAS ABU DHABI 004467 SIPDIS STATE FOR NEA/PI, EU/RA, AND NEA/ARPI E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ECON KDEM PGOV PREL TC SUBJECT: UAE: U.S.-EU DIALOGUE REF: A. ABU DHABI 4334 ¶B. STATE 235816 ¶1. The U.S. and EU embassies in Abu Dhabi held a dialogue on reform in the Middle East December 8. At the request of the EU Ambassadors, the meeting was held at the DCM level. Fourteen EU missions sent representatives. (Note: This session followed a September 28 COM-level U.S.-EU meeting on the same topic. End note.) ¶2. The DCM briefly reviewed the origins of the U.S.-EU dialogue on reform and the commitment by the G-8 and regional countries to launch the Forum for the Future, and discussed the upcoming Forum meetings in Rabat. He outlined Embassy reform priorities in the UAE, including education, labor, trade-related technical assistance, human rights/trafficking in persons, and civil society. He said he hoped all embassies would pay attention to the issue of trafficking in persons and encourage the UAEG to make progress in eliminating the practice. MEPI/Abu Dhabi Office Director explained MEPI objectives and described regional and UAE-specific programs under way or on the horizon. ¶3. In the ensuing discussion, EU and U.S. representatives agreed that it was important to ensure that our respective reform programs were complementary and not duplicative, and that it would be useful to have a mechanism for sharing information about UAE-based NGOs and individuals who have been, or will be, involved in our reform activities. However, as noted in Ref. B, the EU embassies were very sensitive about holding this forum. While some of the larger EU embassies in Abu Dhabi manage some reform and training programs, most EU embassies lack the financial means and personnel to implement programs, and have recommended opening an EC delegation office in Abu Dhabi to coordinate their efforts. At the conclusion of the meeting, the Dutch DCM told the group that the U.S. and the EU share common concerns about reform in the UAE, and said optimistically that "seeds have been planted" during the dialogue. The Dutch Embassy will circulate minutes of the meeting and the EU ambassadors will meet later in December or in January to discuss how they want to move the reform dialogue ahead. SISON