TFLE01: MINSTATE AL-SHA'ALI ON LEBANON SITUATION

C O N F I D E N T I A L ABU DHABI 002928

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/17/2016
TAGS: PREL PTER PINR KWBG KPAL LE SY IR AE
SUBJECT: TFLE01: MINSTATE AL-SHA'ALI ON LEBANON SITUATION

REF: ABU DHABI 2893

Classified by Ambassador Michele J. Sison, reasons 1.4 (B)
and (D).


1. (C) Summary: UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs
Mohammed Hussein Al-Sha'ali convoked Ambassadors from all G-8
countries July 17 to call for a concerted effort to calm the
situation in Lebanon. He offered three specific UAE points
of view: 1) Israel's actions recklessly violate Lebanese
sovereignty, 2) Israel may be helping strengthen Hezbollah
into a "new Al-Qa'ida, and 3) failure of the peace process is
responsible for the current crisis. He called on the UNSC to
initiate a thorough discussion of "all aspects" of regional
peace. Al-Sha'ali did not see a direct Syrian role in the
current crisis and preferred not to "broaden the conflict" by
pointing fingers at Damascus. He noted Iran's involvement in
funding and arming Hezbollah, and reported that the July 15
Cairo Arab League foreign ministers' meeting, which he
chaired, had witnessed unanimous agreement that Hezbollah's
actions were unjustified.


2. (SBU) Summary continued: President Khalifa bin Zayed
Al-Nahyan's July 16 meeting with Egyptian President Mubarak
in Cairo was cited in UAE news reports as calling for
solidarity with Lebanon and an immediate cease-fire, as well
as UNSC intervention. UAE humanitarian responses to the
crisis now include a commitment of $ 20 million, ambulances
and medical supplies, repatriation assistance for UAE
nationals and residents, and relaxation of visa rules for
Lebanese visiting the UAE. End summary.


3. (C) UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Mohammed
Hussein Al-Sha'ali convoked Ambassadors from the G-8
countries July 17 to emphasize UAE views on the urgency of
the "continuing Israeli aggression against Lebanon."
Sha'ali, who noted that he had chaired the Arab League's July
15 ministerial in Cairo on the same topic, said the UAE
position centered around three points. First, the UAE
"thinks that Israeli targeting of civilians and Lebanese
infrastructure is a flagrant violation of Lebanese
sovereignty and should be stopped immediately." He said the
UAE could see no justification for this level of military
action and cited the importance of the international
community helping support Lebanon to enhance its political
stability.


4. (C) The UAE's second point concerned Hezbollah.
Al-Sha'ali prefaced by stating that "all agree" that
Hezbollah is a threat to security and stability in the region
and should be disarmed according to UNSCR 1559.
Unfortunately, he continued, what the UAE now sees is
"Israeli aggression indirectly helping Hezbollah" to gain
strength within the region. Israel is "creating a hero" and
a "new Al-Qa'ida" more threatening than Osama bin Laden.
Hezbollah is threatening for three reasons, said Al-Sha'ali:
1) it is "fighting a legitimate cause" in the view of most
Arabs, 2) it has Lebanon as a platform from which to operate,
and 3) it has a "big country" (Iran) supporting it.
Al-Sha'ali said Iran and Israel appeared to be working
towards a similar goal -- "driving a wedge between Arab
governments and their peoples." He said popular support for
Hezbollah's cause led to street-level condemnation of Arab
governments for taking a balanced stance. He said Arab
League "differences" about how to address the problem in
Cairo revolved around the timing of any condemnation of
Hezbollah -- when in fact "all agreed" that Hezbollah's
actions were unjustified.


5. (C) For his final point, Al-Sha'ali said that current
"incidents" were the result of a failed peace process. He
said the G-8 countries had "special weight" and should work
toward the longer term goal of regional peace. He noted the
Arab foreign ministers had called on the Security Council to
"deal with the peace process in all of its aspects." The
2002 Beirut Summit had produced an Arab peace initiative
which had not received due consideration internationally, he
felt. He said the Arab League was not seeking a mere
"resolution" from the Security Council, but a full discussion
of the conflict and a plan of action "no matter how long it
takes." Al-Sha'ali appealed to the G-8 to "do whatever it
takes" to bring a cease-fire to Lebanon immediately, to avoid
"more distress," while focusing on broader issues of regional
peace.


6. (C) Responding to Ambassador's inquiry about Hezbollah
and its supporters in Iran and Syria, Al-Sha'ali said the UAE
did not want to "broaden the conflict" by pointing fingers at
Syria. He did not see a strong Syrian role in the current
crisis. Syrian support to Hezbollah was "only political," he
noted, while Iran's support was financial and arms-related.
He added that Iran "chose this time" to incite tensions to
discredit Arab governments by showing the Arab peoples that
their leaders had been unable to resolve the Palestinian
issue. Ambassador also asked about FM Sheikh Abdullah's
planned travel to Tehran; Al-Sha'ali replied that the July 29
trip had been postponed.


7. (SBU) Press reports from Sheikh Khalifa's July 16 meeting
with President Mubarak in Cairo highlight Khalifa's call for
solidarity with Lebanon, ending the Israeli aggression, and
calls for a cease-fire and immediate intervention by the UN
Security Council. The official UAE new agency WAM said the
leaders "renewed their support to the Palestinian people and
their right for an independent state with Jerusalem as its
capital." The WAM statement also noted discussions on Iraq,
the UAE islands occupied by Iran, and calls to rid the Middle
East of weapons of mass destruction. Khalifa travels to
Paris and Rabat this week with FM Abdullah.


8. (SBU) UAE contributions to Lebanon in the past few days
include 20 million dollars committed by President Khalifa,
primarily for medical supplies, to "lighten the suffering" of
the Lebanese people; 25 ambulances reportedly dispatched July
16 (according to MFA); and emergency provisions (to be
purchased locally in Lebanon) coordinated by the Red Crescent
Society headed by Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed. The UAE also
extended the validity of visas for Lebanese passport holders
visiting the UAE and waived fines for Lebanese who overstay
their term of residence due to the current crisis.


9. (SBU) The UAE's evacuation effort from Lebanon, which
reportedly assisted in the return to the UAE of over 3,000
UAE nationals via an emergency air bridge from Damascus, also
extends to Lebanese or other nationalities resident in the
UAE. The MFA claims that over 6,000 non-UAE nationals were
assisted in their return to the Emirates. (Note: We
estimate the Lebanese population in the UAE at over 70,000.
End note.)

SISON