PSI: UAE WILLING TO GO PUBLIC

C O N F I D E N T I A L ABU DHABI 002771 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR NEA/ARP TREUTER ISN/CPI PFOLEY, JPURCELL, MSTUMPF T PMCNERNEY E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/05/2015 TAGS: KNNP MNUC PARM PREL AE SUBJECT: PSI: UAE WILLING TO GO PUBLIC REF: SECSTATE 109324 Classified By: Ambassador Michele J. Sison, for reasons 1.4 b and d. ¶1. (U) Action request contained para 4. ¶2. (C) On July 4, econoff met with MFA Director of International Organizations and Conferences, Yacoub al-Hosani, to discuss the UAE's level of participation in the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI). Econoff delivered points in reftel demarche and asked al-Hosani if the UAE would be willing to have its name included on the list publicising countries that have endorsed the PSI Statement of Interdiction Principles. Al-Hosani, who is the MFA representative on the U.S./UAE Counterproliferation Task Force, said that the UAE was willing to have its name included on the list. "Being a part of PSI is not anything we are ashamed of. We will not publicize it ourselves (because of our concern with our neighbor),but it is fine with us if you publicize it." Al-Hosani said he had already discused the idea of going public with ForMin Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyan (AbZ),and that AbZ agrees. ¶3. (C) Econoff noted the USG's disappointment that the UAE had not sent a delegate to the June 23 PSI High-Level Political Meeting in Warsaw. Al-Hosani said he was out of town with AbZ, and thus unable to attend himself. He said that the MFA had selected a young "third secretary who doesn't know anything about this issue" to go in his stead. But, he said that he did not think this was appropriate. "I thought it better that no one from the UAE go, instead of sending someone so junior." Econoff stressed the USG's hope for the UAE to send representatives to future events and participate fully in PSI. Al-Hosani requested a read-out of the discussions of the 23 June meeting. ¶4. (U) Action request for ISN/CPI: Please provide a read-out of the PSI High-Level Political Meeting for passage to the UAE MFA. SISON