FORMER SECDEF COHEN URGES REFORM, BACKS POTUS ON

UNCLAS ABU DHABI 000956 SIPDIS STATE FOR NEA/PI AND NEA/ARPI E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL KMPI KDEM ETRD AE SUBJECT: FORMER SECDEF COHEN URGES REFORM, BACKS POTUS ON DPW ¶1. (U) Speaking at a conference on reform in the Arab world March 12 in Abu Dhabi, former U.S. Secretary of Defense William S. Cohen called on Arabs to be "loving critics" of their countries and region as this approach would help transform the Middle East in a positive way. Cohen urged Arab leaders and intellectuals to be open to new ideas and be willing to accept constructive criticism. Arab leaders should discard "obsolete" ideas and practices, and they should respect the rule of law and protect the rights of their citizens, Cohen told participants at the Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research (ECSSR) conference. "No country can continue to expand and flourish unless it uses the talents of all its people," he said. ¶2. (U) While Cohen's speech was generally well received, some conference participants used the presence of a former senior U.S. official to articulate strong opposition to current U.S. policies in the Middle East. One person commented that USG policies are often "contradictory" and rapped the U.S. for promoting democratic elections in the Palestinian territories and then refusing to accept Hamas' victory. Another participant stated that the Palestinian issue was a "big test case" for the USG's efforts to promote reform in the Middle East, and argued that there would be no progress on the Mideast Road Map unless "Israel is made to cooperate." One person drew a distinction between the "two faces of America" )- the "beautiful" and "civilized" face that Arabs acknowledge and appreciate, and the face that is "disfigured daily by the practices of the American administration." The latter has created "mistrust" in Arab countries, the speaker said, urging the U.S. to "show its nice face more than its ugly face." ¶3. (U) Cohen responded to the criticism by acknowledging that U.S. policymakers often take a "pragmatic" approach instead of following ideals. In Cohen's view, peace in the Middle East is not possible until there is a separate "economically viable" Palestinian state. "We have to re-dedicate ourselves to the Road Map," he said. Cohen expressed the hope that Hamas will act responsibly and "find some way of cohabitating" with Israel and not choose the path that leads to war. The essence of democracy, he said, is the rule of law, not the law of rule. In the meantime, Cohen made it very clear that American taxpayers "are not going to tax themselves to send money to Hamas, an entity committed to the destruction of an ally (Israel)." Cohen also urged Arabs not to focus exclusively on American military might in the region, but also to consider the effects of America's "soft power" (i.e. humanitarian assistance). He described the U.S. as a nation of "imperial reach rather imperial ambition." On the process of reform, Cohen spoke of the challenge of globalization and the problem of rising expectations, remarking that each society must decide for itself how much democratic reform it can absorb at a given time. ¶4. (U) Addressing the Dubai Ports World issue, Cohen noted President Bush's strong support of the acquisition and lamented Congress' "misunderstanding" on the issue. Cohen was responding to a question from the audience about contradictions in U.S. foreign policy. "The president of the United States does not always get his way," he said. Cohen attributed Congress' handling of the DPW issue to the "fear factor" among Americans on security issues. "What we have to do is educate ourselves. ... Many of us spoke out in favor of the UAE. ... Politics got way out in front of policy." SISON