Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
05ABUDHABI3802
2005-09-06 15:15:00
SECRET
Embassy Abu Dhabi
Cable title:  

UAE VIEWS ON CAIRO FOREIGN MINISTERS' MEETING

Tags:  PREL PTER PGOV TC 
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Diana T Fritz 08/28/2006 04:01:02 PM From DB/Inbox: Search Results

Cable 
Text: 
 
 
S E C R E T ABU DHABI 03802

SIPDIS
CXABU:
 ACTION: AMB
 INFO: POL ECON DCM

DISSEMINATION: AMB
CHARGE: PROG

APPROVED: AMB:MSISON
DRAFTED: POL:BTHOMSON
CLEARED: DCM:MRQUINN

VZCZCADI277
PP RUEHC RUEHEE RUEHZM
DE RUEHAD #3802/01 2491515
ZNY SSSSS ZZH
P 061515Z SEP 05
FM AMEMBASSY ABU DHABI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1436
INFO RUEHEE/ARAB LEAGUE COLLECTIVE
RUEHZM/GULF COOPERATION COUNCIL COLLECTIVE
S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 ABU DHABI 003802 

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/05/2015
TAGS: PREL PTER PGOV TC
SUBJECT: UAE VIEWS ON CAIRO FOREIGN MINISTERS' MEETING

REF: A. STATE 163365


B. DUBAI 3667

C. STATE 152459

D. STATE 159137

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

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 ABU DHABI 003802

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/05/2015
TAGS: PREL PTER PGOV TC
SUBJECT: UAE VIEWS ON CAIRO FOREIGN MINISTERS' MEETING

REF: A. STATE 163365


B. DUBAI 3667

C. STATE 152459

D. STATE 159137

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


1. (S) Summary: On September 4, the Ambassador delivered ref
A demarche on the upcoming Cairo Arab League Foreign
Ministers meeting during a call on Abdullah Rashid Al Noaimi,
U/S for Foreign Affairs. Ambassador reinforced USG views on
terrorism, Israel-Palestine, Syria-Lebanon and Iraq. Al
Noaimi noted that these topics would be discussed at both the
GCC Ministerial in Jeddah on September 5 as well as the Arab
League FM meeting in Cairo. The UAEG is likely to adopt a
common GCC stance on a variety of issues in both Jeddah and
Cairo. Al Noaimi agreed that all nations should work
together to discredit terrorist/extremist messages. He
expressed regret over "politicization" of the Magen David
Adom issue. Al Noaimi complained that the Arab world needed
to rid itself of "old think" on the Israel-Palestine issue.
He mentioned the possibility that the Arab League Foreign
Ministers would issue "a middle of the road" statement on the
Iraqi constitution. He also acknowledged that the UN and UAE
had common goals on Syria and conceded that Bashar had "not
done enough." End Summary.

--------------
Terrorism
--------------


2. (C) Ambassador urged the UAEG to use the GCC Ministerial
and Arab League FM meetings as opportunities to issue strong
condemnations of terrorism. (NOTE: Al Noaimi's father, Rashid
Abdullah Al Noaimi, UAE Foreign Minister, will lead the UAE
delegations in both Jeddah and Cairo. End Note.) Praising
UAEG's grassroots work against terrorism, including strong
sermons condemning terrorism and extremism following the
Sharm Al Sheikh and London attacks, Ambassador stressed the
importance of support for the draft UN Comprehensive
Convention on Terrorism. Al Noaimi responded that until
recently, UAE nationals had continued to think of terrorists
as isolated, disaffected groups. The London bombings had
been a great shock. He stated that UAEG must reexamine the
causes for terrorism and would go to the source in rooting it
out.

--------------

Israel-Palestine
--------------


3. (S) Ambassador complimented UAEG on its sizeable aid to
the Palestinians, noting the Sheikh Zayed City building
project in Gaza, while pointing out that Palestinian needs
remained enormous. She urged that a strong commitment to
increased assistance to the Palestinians through the Arab
League would be especially welcome. Al Noaimi stated that
UAEG at one time provided cash grants to the Palestinians,
but noticing a lack of "trickle down," now prefers to assist
through specific development projects such as the 100 million
dollar Sheikh Khalifa residential city complex project.


4. (S) Ambassador pressed U/S on UAEG support for resolving
the issue of Israel's Magen David Adom membership in the
International Red Cross/Red Crescent. Al Noaimi responded
that humanitarian issues "should not be politicized." He
added that the UAE would have no comment on press reports
(UAE daily Al Khaleej quoting Israel's "Ha'aretz") about
Israeli delegation presence in Dubai. (Note: On September 5
"The Gulf Today" ran a front-page article from WAM, the UAEG
news agency, denying the Israeli press report regarding an
official Israeli presence in the UAE. The article quotes
unnamed MFA official stating that the UAE continues to comply
with the Arab Peace Initiative which links normalization of
ties with Israel to the recognition of Israel. See ref B for
details on the launching of CIDAC, Israel's Dubai trade
office. End note.)


5. (S) Al Noaimi elaborated that the UAE did not need to have
its trade and foreign policy dictated by the Arab League. He
complained that we "need to get rid of the old minds,"
observing that "old think" -- through Egyptian and Syrian
journalists "and other non-Emiratis" -- still dominates the
UAE and Arab media. When Abu Mazen and Sharon were meeting
face-to-face, who were these journalists to criticize those
who wished to move forward?

--------------
Iraq
--------------


6. (S) Ambassador asked UAEG to use its influence to urge a
public statement from the Arab League applauding Iraqi
success in completing a draft constitution. Al Noaimi agreed
that the foreign fighters must go and said that the UAEG does
not want to see factional strife in Iraq, commenting: "It is
no time for Iraqi leaders to be playing with fire." Al
Noaimi indicated that he was well aware of the joint US-UK
demarche urging Arab governments to give public support for
the Iraqi constitution, noting, "we must awaken the
leadership to their future." Al Noaimi added that it was
possible the Arab Foreign Ministers would issue a "middle of
the road" statement on the Iraqi constitution.


7. (S) Al Noaimi said that the message that the UAEG wants to
send the Sunni leadership in Iraq is that federalism does not
mean division, as long as the framework is established and
the boundaries are set. He noted that UAEG lived with a
provisional constitution for 20 years and prospered under it,
adding that he didn't know why the Iraqis need "a solid
block" from the beginning. Constitutions could be amended as
needed. "Federalism has been healthy for us," he added.
Ambassador suggested that the message on the benefits of
federalism would best be delivered if UAEG had its own
ambassador in Iraq. (UAE is now represented at the Charge
d'Affaires level.) Al Noaimi argued that current security
concerns precluded installation of a UAE ambassador in
Baghdad, but that the MFA would have a full mission when the
situation permits. He acknowledged that Sheikh Hamdan, UAEG
Deputy PM and MinState Foreign Affairs, had met with former
Iraq PM Iyad Allawi in Morocco last week but offered no
further information on the meeting.

--------------
Syria-Lebanon
--------------


8. (S) Ambassador underscored that all nations should focus
on "isolation, not engagement" vis-a-vis Syria. She stressed
that the UN Summit would be an opportunity for the
international community to reinforce concerns over Syria's
support for the insurgency in Iraq, its interference in the
internal affairs of Lebanon, its failure to expel Palestinian
terrorists, and its poor human rights record. She argued
that denying Syria the opportunity to use the UNGA summit as
a platform for its own agenda will send a message that the
international community is steadfast in its demands for
change, ref D. Al Noaimi responded that the UAEG prefers an
approach which would help President Bashar Al Asad free
himself of the "old guard" which surrounds him, rather than
to isolate him. Ambassador repeated that isolation, not
engagement, is the best way to send the clearest, most direct
message that support of Iraqi insurgents and interference in
Lebanon will not be tolerated. Since it appears that the
UAEG will engage Syria at UNGA, Ambassador urged the UAEG to
use the opportunity to convey the message that Syria's
behavior is not acceptable. Al Noaimi acknowledged common
USG-UAEG goals and conceded that Bashar Al Asad has "not done
enough."

--------------
HLE, Reform Issues
--------------


9. (S) Ambassador noted that the USG would continue to work
under UNGA President Jean Ping's leadership to facilitate the
UN reform process. She also commented on the positive
political developments underway in Iraq, Lebanon, and Egypt,
citing the need for free and competitive elections as a
central component of political reform, and reiterated US
support of UAEG's moves in this direction. In an August 15
meeting with the Secretary, Sheikh Hamdan had stated that the
UAE was on the threshold of major developments including the
announcement of municipal and Federal National Council
elections, she reminded Al Noaimi. He acknowledged that it
was important that the UAE move forward in these areas.

SISON