PSI: LETTER FROM U/S JOSEPH AND EXERCISE LEADING

UNCLAS ABU DHABI 004225 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR ISN, T, PM/FO, AND NEA/ARP E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KNNP PARM PREL PHSA MNUC AE SUBJECT: PSI: LETTER FROM U/S JOSEPH AND EXERCISE LEADING EDGE REFS: A) STATE 179478, B) ABU DHABI 4094 AND PREVIOUS Sensitive but unclassified. Please protect accordingly. ¶1. (SBU) Post delivered reftel letter from U/S Joseph to MFA Acting Under Secretary Tariq Al-Haidan under cover of a diplomatic note. Following up on delivery of the letter, PolChief discussed its content November 7 with our primary interlocutor on nonproliferation issues at MFA, Director for International Organizations Yacub Al-Hosani. Al-Hosani appreciated the letter's practical approach to merging implementation of UNSCR 1718 with PSI. PolChief urged active UAE participation in PSI and ongoing vigilance on UNSCR 1718. ¶2. (SBU) PolChief noted the UAE's recent observation of PSI exercise LEADING EDGE as a helpful sign of cooperation against the threats addressed by PSI and UNSCRs 1718 and ¶1696. Al-Hosani requested information on the "results" of the exercise, including after-action reports and/or lessons learned. He said the military observers would note the technical value of the exercise, but that other agencies and the "political level" would benefit from information that showed the practical value of the event, what goals had been achieved, U.S. perceptions of lessons learned, and what follow-on exercises were planned. ¶3. (SBU) Action request: In order to encourage active UAE participation in future PSI exercises, Post requests any post-event reporting from LEADING EDGE that we can share with the UAEG. End action request. SISON