DEDICATION OF `THE DUNES' - THE NEW EMBASSY

UNCLAS ABU DHABI 000571 SIPDIS STATE FOR NEA/ARP, NEA/FO E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL AMGT TC SUBJECT: DEDICATION OF `THE DUNES' - THE NEW EMBASSY COMPOUND IN ABU DHABI ¶1. SUMMARY: THE U.S. EMBASSY IN ABU DHABI COMMEMORATED ON MARCH 2 THE OPENING OF ITS NEW COMPOUND, `THE DUNES', IN A DEDICATION CEREMONY ATTENDED BY THE GUEST OF HONOR, SHAYKH HAMDAN BIN ZAYED AL NAHYAN, DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER AND MINISTER OF STATE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS, SEVERAL UAE SHAYKHS AND MINISTERS, THE DIPLOMATIC CORPS AND SCIONS OF THE ABU DHABI BUSINESS AND SOCIAL SCENE. GUESTS ENJOYED A WARM WELCOMING AND A WELL-ORGANIZED CEREMONY, AND EXPRESSED REACTIONS OF APPRECIATION, GRATITUDE AND WELL WISHES. THE EVENT WAS WIDELY COVERED BY PRINT AND ELECTRONIC MEDIA. SHEIKH HAMDAN RARELY ATTENDS SUCH EVENTS - A FACT THAT WAS NOTED BY SEVERAL ENVIOUS AMBASSADORS. END SUMMARY. ¶2. WITH ALL MISSION STAFF PULLING TOGETHER AS A TEAM, THE U.S. EMBASSY'S DEDICATION CEREMONY YESTERDAY WAS A DAY TO BE REMEMBERED. THE DECORATION, BUFFET, JAZZ MUSIC, THE FRESH WEATHER, AND THE GATHERING OF APPROXIMATELY 350 GUESTS, ALL CONTRIBUTED TO A SUCCESSFUL EVENT. THE AMBASSADOR'S DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW EMBASSY "AS A VERY VISIBLE SYMBOL OF (THE UAE-U.S.) PARTNERSHIP, TRUST AND FRIENDSHIP", WAS WIDELY QUOTED IN THE LOCAL PRESS. ¶3. SHAYKH HAMDAN BIN ZAYED AL NAHYAN, THE GUEST OF HONOR, WROTE IN THE EMBASSY'S GUEST BOOK: "IT GIVES ME GREAT PLEASURE TO INAUGURATE TODAY TUESDAY MARCH 2, 2004 THE NEW COMPOUND OF THE U.S. EMBASSY IN ABU DHABI. ON THIS OCCASION, I AM DELIGHTED TO COMMEMORATE THE DISTINGUISHED AND DEEP RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE UAE AND OUR ALLY THE U.S., WHICH SERVES THE INTERESTS OF BOTH FRIENDLY NATIONS UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF H.H. SHAYKH ZAYED BIN SULTAN AL NAHYAN, PRESIDENT OF THE UAE, AND THE HONORABLE PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES. TODAY WE INAUGURATE THIS ARCHITECTURALLY BEAUTIFUL BUILDING, WHICH WE HOPE WILL SERVE THE INTERESTS OF BOTH COUNTRIES. WE HOPE FOR CONTINUED DEVELOPMENT AND PROSPERITY IN THE ONGOING RELATIONS BETWEEN THE TWO FRIENDLY COUNTRIES, AND WE TREASURE THE EFFECTIVE ROLE THAT THE EMBASSY IS PLAYING IN THIS REGARD." ¶4. THE UAE DIGNITARIES WHO ATTENDED THE CEREMONY WERE: -- SHAYKH HAMDAN BIN ZAYED AL NAHYAN, DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER AND MINISTER OF STATE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS; -- SHAYKH HAMED BIN ZAYED AL NAHYAN, CHAIRMAN OF DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMY, MEMBER OF ABU DHABI EXECUTIVE COUNCIL; -- SHAYKH DR. SULTAN BIN KHALIFA AL NAHYAN, DIRECTOR OF THE CROWN PRINCE'S DIWAN; -- SHAYKH NAHYAN BIN MUBARAK AL NAHYAN, MINISTER OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH; -- SHAYKH HAMDAN BIN MUBARAK AL NAHYAN, CHAIRMAN OF ABU DHABI CIVIL AVIATION DEPARTMENT; -- SHAYKH FAISAL BIN SAQR AL QASSIMI, SON OF RAS AL KHAIMAH RULER. -- HAMAD AL MADFA, MINISTER OF HEALTH -- MOHAMED NAKHIRA AL DHAHERI, MINISTER OF JUSTICE, ISLAMIC AFFAIRS, AND AWQAF -- SULTAN BIN NASSER AL SUWAIDI, GOVERNOR OF THE CENTRAL BANK ¶5. MORE THAN TWO MINUTES OF THE CEREMONY WAS COVERED IN THE EVENING NEWS AND THE EVENT WAS REPORTED IN ALL (5 ARABIC, 3 ENGLISH) NEWSPAPERS. WE POSTED AN ARTICLE ON DEDICATION AND SPEECHES OF AMBASSADOR WAHBA AND GENERAL WILLIAMS, DIRECTOR OF OBO, WHO DEDICATED THE BUILDING, ON THE EMBASSY WEBSITE. ¶6. YACUB AL HOSANI, MFA DIRECTOR FOR INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS AND ONE OF OUR VALUED INTERLOCUTORS DURING THE PAST YEAR ON THE TRADE AND INVESTMENT FRAMEWORK AGREEMENT AND THE ARTICLE 98 AGREEMENT, PRIVATELY EXPRESSED HIS ADMIRATION FOR THE NEW BUILDING AND SAID IT SPOKE VOLUMES ABOUT THE STRENGTH OF THE BILATERAL RELATIONSHIP. THE KENYAN AMBASSADOR REFLECTED ON EMBASSY BOMBING IN NAIROBI AND THE CHANGES THAT HAVE OCCURRED SINCE SEPTEMBER 11, 2001, AND NOTED THAT OUR NEW BEAUTIFUL AND IMPOSING STRUCTURE SENDS JUST THE RIGHT MESSAGE ABOUT THE AMERICAN DIPLOMATIC FOOTPRINT IN THE UAE. WAHBA