UAE: CALLING FOR THE RELEASE OF AKBAR GANJI

C O N F I D E N T I A L ABU DHABI 001023 SIPDIS C O R R E C T E D C O P Y (A.DATE CHANGE PARA 1; B.NEW INFO SENTENCE 2 PARA 1) SIPDIS STATE FOR NEA/ARPI AND DRL E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/17/2016 TAGS: PGOV PHUM SOCI IR AE SUBJECT: UAE: CALLING FOR THE RELEASE OF AKBAR GANJI REF: STATE 42097 Classified By: AMBASSADOR MICHELE J. SISON, REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D). ¶1. (C) In a meeting with UAE MFA U/S Abdullah Rashid al-Noaimi March 18, Ambassador delivered reftel points and together with DRL DAS Barks-Ruggles urged the UAE to join other states in sending Iran a clear message in support of Iranian journalist and political prisoner Akbar Ganji's release. At the time of the meeting, neither Ambassador nor MFA had been aware that Mr. Ganji had been released. Barks-Ruggles sought UAE support by noting that Iran was abusing people for actions that would be tolerated in the UAE. She told al-Noaimi that Iran needs to hear from its friends that the world has changed and that they need to understand they are behind the times. Al-Noaimi indicated that the UAE was unlikely to issue a public statement. ¶2. (C) Al-Noaimi told Ambassador and Barks-Ruggles that the UAE does not publicly comment on every issue, consistent with its preference for keeping a low profile. Ambassador reminded al-Noaimi of the UAEG's positive public statements made in regard to keeping the Gulf region free of weapons of mass destruction. Al-Noaimi conceded that the UAEG concentrates on its key regional security priorities. Iran is a large neighbor with many "interactions" with the UAE, al-Noaimi continued. Because Iranians are "very sensitive," the UAE has to "keep a balance" in its relations with Iran. ¶3. (C) Al-Noaimi added that while the UAE may not like and may not agree with Iran's policies, at least it maintains a "channel of communications." He cited the example of the Iran-Iraq War, when UAE was the only country in the region to maintain relations with Iran during that time. Despite Iraqi complaints to the UAE, the UAE responded to Iraq that it might need a channel of communication with Iran some day. ¶4. (C) Our fuller discussion with al-Noaimi on Iran-related issues will be reported septel. SISON