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