ABU DHABI CROWN PRINCE PUBLICLY DENOUNCES TERROR

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ABU DHABI 004946 SIPDIS STATE FOR NEA/FO, NEA/PD AND NEA/ARPI STATE ALSO FOR S/CT AND IIP COORDINATOR ALEX FELDMAN E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/06/2010 TAGS: PTER KISL PREL KPAO AE SUBJECT: ABU DHABI CROWN PRINCE PUBLICLY DENOUNCES TERROR REF: A. ABU DHABI 4919 (NOTAL) ¶B. ABU DHABI 4905 (NOTAL) ¶C. DUBAI 5906 (NOTAL) Classified By: Deputy Chief of Mission Martin R. Quinn, reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) Summary: Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed (MbZ) used a speech at the inauguration of the Abu Dhabi National Consultative Council December 6 to publicly denounce terrorists as disloyal towards their fellow citizens. MbZ's strongly worded message follows his equally powerful statement to Al Arabiya television on November 16 in response to the November 9 Amman terrorist bombings in which he said called upon Muslim scholars and imams to take a stand against terrorism. The statement also comes a little less than a week after President Khalifa's announcement of coming political reforms, including a limited indirect election of half the members of the Federal National Council. That announcement, like MbZ's harsh message for terrorists, is what triggers speculation within academic circles about whether UAE nationals with Islamist tendencies would be allowed to participate in the new era of political openness (see reftels). President Khalifa also announced the establishment of a National Security Council. End Summary. ¶2. (U) Speaking before the Abu Dhabi National Consultative Council December 6, MbZ declared, "We have a deep belief that the top-most priority is total allegiance to the nation and nothing else. A citizen has rights which the country provides and guarantees. But in return the pillar of citizenship is the absolute and full loyalty to their country and its leadership." MbZ continued, "Today there is no room for multi-affiliations or having people who enjoy the privileges of citizenship whilst their affiliations are outside the country's borders. The interest of the country is non-negotiable. We will not tolerate any deviation from this principle." ¶3. (U) MbZ said that terrorists have no loyalty toward their fellow citizens. "I would say the problem with terrorists is that they have sold their conscience to people outside their countries, which we strongly reject in the UAE," he said. He went on to urge all UAE residents to be vigilant against efforts that might destabilize the country. MbZ said eradicating terrorism in all forms, including money laundering, is a national priority "because it guarantees stability and progress we enjoy and strive to expand for the betterment of our country and the generations to come." ¶4. (U) The statement before the National Consultative Council follows an equally strong statement MbZ made during an interview for Al Arabiya television November 16 in response to the November 9 Amman bombings. MbZ told Al Arabiya that Muslim scholars and imams "who live among us" should adopt a unified stand against terrorism. He said if the sheikhs and imams do not denounce terrorists as infidels, "the least they can do is drive them out of the faith." He said he blamed the scholars and imams who, by not denouncing terrorists, were allowing terrorist acts to continue. "If there is no sincere stand against such irreligious and inhumane acts, they will flourish." MbZ added that terrorism "entered our lives in the name of Islam." It is up to Muslims to "face it and resist it." ¶5. (U) MbZ asked rhetorically, which mind, and which logic, would explain the killing of a child, a woman, or an elderly person at a party (referring to the wedding celebration in an Amman hotel). He concluded his statement by saying that what happened in Jordan as a result of a terrorist act "has been hurtful to us in the UAE, as if it happened here." ¶6. (C) Comment: MbZ has told USG interlocutors of his zero tolerance for terrorists. His anti-terror statements to the National Consultative Council and to Al Arabiya not only demonstrates that MbZ has no qualms about publicly declaring his intolerance for terrorists, but also his displeasure with religious leaders who may actually be encouraging extremism by not speaking out against terrorists. It will be interesting to see what effect these public messages ratcheting up the anti-terror rhetoric have on UAE nationals, who learned a week earlier that the leadership was ready to broaden political participation. For some, MbZ's speech may have struck a dissonant chord because it contradicts the principle of freedom of participation. As reported in ref C, as the indirect election process gets under way, authorities in at least two of the emirates )- and probably all of them -- will be vetting all proposed names closely for possible Islamist connections. SISON