DEMARCHE ON UNSCR 1701

C O N F I D E N T I A L ABU DHABI 003255 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/12/2016 TAGS: PREL PTER MOPS UNSC UN IS LE AE SUBJECT: DEMARCHE ON UNSCR 1701 REF: STATE 132517 Classified by CDA Martin Quinn, reasons 1.4 (B) and (D). ¶1. (C) On August 12, the Charge and Acting Under Secretary Tareq Al-Haidan (MFA's number two) discussed UNSCR 1701. Reviewing reftel points, the Charge stressed the need for strong support for the current resolution aimed at addressing the requirements 6^JY|Q@uthan previous drafts and took into account PM Siniora's seven points. Al-Haidan said the resolution needed to be "put into action as soon as possible." He was hopeful that the Israeli cabinet would quickly accept the resolution and cease military operations; he asked rhetorically what Israel had to gain by continuing operations after the UNSCR's passage. The IDF could march to the Litani river, he noted, but "to achieve what?" It would be more prudent for Israel to stop the fighting now. Al-Haidan also implied that continued fighting would undermine the credibility of the UNSCR itself. ¶2. (C) As for UAE views on UNSCR 1701, Al-Haidan said that participants in the August 7 Arab League ministerial in Beirut (which he attended along with FM Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan) had agreed to support Lebanon and that Beirut's acceptance of the resolution would determine the UAE stance. The UAE "accepts what Lebanon accepts." He said the UAE fully supported UNSCR 1559 and sought the disarming of Hezbollah -- which should be a political party without weapons. ¶3. (C) Al-Haidan also pressed the Charge to explain the Secretary's intent in referring to a "new Middle East" in the SIPDIS context of the current conflict, opining that democratic elections had contributed to instability both in Iraq and the West Ban;=RsRHQOJes in the region rather than emphasizing longer-term U.S. goals calling for democracy as an answer to the more immediate and practical problems (i.e., security) which the region faces. QUINN