Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
05ABUDHABI2559
2005-06-08 10:41:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Abu Dhabi
Cable title:  

PAKISTAN'S MUSHARRAF ON OFFICIAL VISIT TO THE UAE

Tags:  PREL PTER ECON PK TC 
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C O N F I D E N T I A L ABU DHABI 002559 

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/07/2015
TAGS: PREL PTER ECON PK TC
SUBJECT: PAKISTAN'S MUSHARRAF ON OFFICIAL VISIT TO THE UAE

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

C O N F I D E N T I A L ABU DHABI 002559

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/07/2015
TAGS: PREL PTER ECON PK TC
SUBJECT: PAKISTAN'S MUSHARRAF ON OFFICIAL VISIT TO THE UAE

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


1. (C) Summary: Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf paid his
first official visit to the UAE since President Khalifa
succeeded the late Sheikh Zayed last November. During the
June 4-5 visit, the two leaders discussed the war on terror,
Pakistan's internal political stability, Pakistan's ties with
Afghanistan, and the situation in Kashmir. Musharraf
addressed 1,000 Pakistani expatriates, including dozens of
laborers, exhorting them not to encourage, or side with,
forces back home that spread hatred. Musharraf also
addressed Pakistani and UAE businessmen, urging them to
invest in Pakistan,s economy to help address the root causes
of terrorism and extremism. End Summary.


2. (C) Pakistan,s President Musharraf paid an official visit
to the UAE June 4-5. The visit came three weeks after Abu
Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed and Deputy Prime
Minister and Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Sheikh
Hamdan bin Zayed had traveled to Lahore to meet with
Musharraf and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz. While in Abu
Dhabi, Musharraf met with President Khalifa, Abu Dhabi Crown
Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed and most of the UAEG's
senior leadership. Musharraf's meetings with Khalifa covered
the war on terror, Pakistan's internal political stability,
Pakistan's ties with Afghanistan, and the situation in
Kashmir, according to MFA sources.


3. (C) MFA Under Secretary Abdullah Rashid Al Noaimi told
Ambassador June 8 that the UAEG considered Musharraf to be
"the right man, at the right place, at the right time," and
added that the UAEG believed that Pakistan needed Musharraf's
leadership. Al Noaimi said that the UAEG supported
Musharraf, politically and financially. Pakistan and the UAE
maintain "very good" bilateral relations, a senior Pakistani
diplomat told Pol Chief June 8. On the economic side, the
UAE has stepped up its investments in Pakistan considerably
($1 billion in the past three years),especially in the
banking, construction, and telecommunications sectors, he
noted. During Musharraf's visit, the two countries agreed to
exchange trade delegations in the future.

4. (C) One of Musharraf's principal missions in coming to the
UAE was to establish a rapport with the UAE's new leadership,
the senior Pakistani diplomat said. "President Zayed loved
Pakistan, and Pakistan loved President Zayed. When Zayed
died, Pakistan lost a father figure. Our President wanted to
ensure the continuity of that special relationship," the
diplomat told Pol Chief. That mission was accomplished, he
added. Musharraf's entourage included Foreign Minister
Khorshed Kasuri, Labor and Manpower Minister Ghulam Sarwar
Khan, Privatization and Investment Minister Abdul Hafiz
Sheikh, Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Resources
Mohammed Naseer Mangal, and Minister of State for Water and
Power Amir Muqam.


5. (C) On June 5, Musharraf met with approximately 1,000
members of Pakistan's 450,000-strong expatriate community in
the UAE. During the meeting, he appealed to his fellow
citizens not to encourage or side with forces or elements
back home that spread hatred or indulge in anti-social
activities. Musharraf stressed the need to tackle
sectarianism and extremism, and noted his government's focus
on education and policies to reduce poverty, control
unemployment, and improve the economy. He also explained the
objectives of the government's security operations in some of
Pakistan's regions. Musharraf highlighted the role Pakistani
expatriates have played in improving the economic situation
in Pakistan. He said that their remittances provide an
important source of foreign exchange in Pakistan. (Note: In
the past three years, overseas Pakistanis have remitted $12
billion to Pakistan, $5 billion of which comes from Pakistani
expatriates in the Gulf, according to the UAE's official news
agency.)


6. (C) Musharraf also met with Pakistani and UAE business
people, urging them to invest in Pakistan's economy. The
UAE's official news agency reported that Musharraf told the
business community Pakistan had succeeded in curbing
terrorism over the last few years. "What you see sometimes
are instances of sectarian violence. Even so, none of these
acts has targeted a foreign business," he said. Pakistan's
Privatization and Investment Minister Abdul Hafiz Sheikh
briefed the audience on investment opportunities,
particularly in the telecommunications sector, now that it is
being privatized.


7. (U) Musharraf last visited the UAE in November 2004 to
attend the funeral of the late UAE President Sheikh Zayed.
He paid his respects at Zayed's tomb during his recent visit.
SISON