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