TFLE01: FM SHEIKH ABDULLAH ON LEBANON, ABU MAZEN

C O N F I D E N T I A L ABU DHABI 002956 SIPDIS NOFORN SIPDIS NSC FOR ABRAMS/DORAN/WERNER/SINGH/HARDING E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/18/2016 TAGS: PREL EAID KPAL IR LE AE SUBJECT: TFLE01: FM SHEIKH ABDULLAH ON LEBANON, ABU MAZEN REF: A. ABU DHABI 2490 ¶B. ABU DHABI 2928 Classified By: Ambassador Michele J. Sison, reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C)SUMMARY: Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al Nahyan (AbZ) telephoned Ambassador from Paris the evening of July 17 to condemn the attack in Lebanon on a UAE humanitarian assistance convoy, urge that credit for any defusing of the Hamas situation go to Abu Mazen, and criticize EU political chief Solana's efforts in Beirut. AbZ is in Paris on an official visit with President Sheikh Khalifa. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (C) AbZ opened the conversation by stating flatly that "there is no way the UAE could accept the bizarre, crazy attack" on its humanitarian aid convoy (ref A). "I'm not saying that Israel actually thought that the UAE was carrying supplies to Hezbollah in a convoy of ambulances and trucks packed with medical supplies headed from Damascus to Beirut," said AbZ, "but it was clearly marked." "We are on the same side as you are," he continued. "We want to contain these terror groups but destroying relief aid is not the way we can win the war against terrorism." ¶3. (C) The remaining goods had been safely secured in a Government of Lebanon facility, AbZ added. Contrary to an earlier UAEG report, no ambulances were lost. However, several containers of medical supplies were destroyed. There were no fatalities among the drivers, although some of the injuries were serious, he reported. Although "neither side appeared to have the desire to stop Israeli actions" the UAE and the rest of the international community needed to continue to provide urgently-needed humanitarian assistance to the Lebanese people, AbZ said. ¶4. (C) On the issue of captured soldier Shalit, AbZ urged that "Abu Mazen and Abu Mazen only" receive any credit for any positive Hamas outcome, noting that "things were moving." Things also appeared to be moving on the Palestinian prisoner front, AbZ said. However, Sharon had made "big mistakes in the past" in handing prisoners over to Hezbollah leader Hasan Nasarallah, and the UAE "hoped this wouldn't happen again." Hezbollah should transfer custody of the two Israeli soldiers it is holding to the Government of Lebanon, he added. It would be wrong to give either "another government, Hamas or Hezbollah any credit," AbZ emphasized. ¶5. (C) EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana's discussions in Beirut had driven the Lebanese "berserk," said AbZ, who said he had just received a telephone call from a senior official in Beirut. AbZ said that he wished to give the USG the "heads up" that he believed Solana's proposals on prisoner exchanges to be "dumb and ludicrous." He closed the call by asking for updates on the upcoming visits to Abu Dhabi by Treasury DepSec Kimmitt and PM A/S Hillen-OSD A/S Rodman. SISON