UAE CAMEL JOCKEY SOLUTION: ROBOTS

C O N F I D E N T I A L ABU DHABI 001604

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR G, G/TIP, INL, DRL, PRM, NEA/RA, AND NEA/ARPI
STATE ALSO PASS TO USTR

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/10/2010
TAGS: PHUM KDEM ELAB ETRD TC
SUBJECT: UAE CAMEL JOCKEY SOLUTION: ROBOTS

REF: ABU DHABI 1152

Classified By: Ambassador Michele J. Sison, reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (C) Summary: Deputy Prime Minister and de facto Foreign
Minister Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed told Ambassador April 10
that the UAE was working to resolve the camel
jockey/trafficking in persons (TIP) problem. Sheikh Hamdan,
who is also Chairman of the Camel Racing Federation, said the
UAE has already taken several serious steps to address the
issue, referring to the new law banning jockeys under age 16
from taking part in camel races, and to the successful
testing of a robot camel jockey. End Summary.


2. (C) Ambassador called on Sheikh Hamdan April 10 to review
a number of bilateral and other issues (non-TIP topics
reported septel). Attending the meeting were MFA U/S
Abdullah Rashid Al Noaimi; Sheikh Hamdan's office manager
Ambassador Sultan Al Romeithi; Abu Dhabi Deputy Crown Prince
Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed's special advisor Yousef Al Otaiba;
and Pol Chief.


3. (C) Before Ambassador could conclude her tour d'horizon
overview of various military, FTA, and regional issues,
Sheikh Hamdan exclaimed, "I have been waiting for this
meeting." He noted that the UAE leadership was concerned
about the TIP report that will be sent to Congress, and was
therefore rapidly implementing measures to address the
underage camel jockey problem. Sheikh Hamdan, who announced
in mid-March that a new law banning underage camel jockeys
would take effect by March 31, added that the UAE is very
serious and responsive about this. He said the UAE was
working to make sure this is resolved expeditiously. The
Ambassador made clear that it was important to maintain
"positive momentum," especially as the U.S. and UAE are
headed into the second round of FTA negotiations in May. The
UAE needs to take immediate and visible steps to help the
young camel jockeys working in the UAE, including rescue and
compassionate repatriation, the Ambassador told Sheikh
Hamdan. She underscored the urgent need for rescue and
repatriation data that would illustrate UAE efforts to combat
the problem.


4. (C) In addition to the new law, Sheikh Hamdan signaled
another positive development -- the testing of a camel jockey
robot. The camel jockey prototype was tested April 9 in Abu
Dhabi as Minister of Presidential Affairs Sheikh Mansour bin
Zayed looked on. When the UAE camel racing season resumes in
October 2005, camel owners will use remote-controlled,
lightweight robots instead of underage children. (Note: The
new law bans jockeys under 16 years of age from competing in
camel races, and stipulates that their weight should exceed
45 kilograms. Ministry of Interior and Ministry of Labor
contacts have confirmed that the two-month grace period for
repatriating the children began on March 31. After that
date, employers will be subject to penalties and prosecution.
However, the UAEG has not yet published the law in the
official gazette. End note.)


5. (C) Comment: The UAEG continues to emphasize its
commitment to resolve the camel jockey issue. The UAEG has
heavily publicized that the law went into effect March 31 and
that the grace period started ticking on that date. While
repatriation of the camel jockeys has started with jockeys
trickling into source country embassies, we have been
repeating to officials here that they need to accelerate and
document this process. Meanwhile, after meeting with
Interior Minister Sheikh Saif bin Zayed on April 6, a UNICEF
regional director, Rima Saleh, commended the UAE for working
to resolve the underage camel jockey problem and urged other
countries to follow the UAE's example. We will remind Sheikh
Hamdan again in a scheduled April 12 meeting of the urgency
of documenting the repatriation and rescue. End Comment.
SISON