NO HAMAS TV TO BE PERMITTED IN DUBAI

C O N F I D E N T I A L DUBAI 000372 E.O. 12958: DECL: 1/25/2016 TAGS: PTER KPAL KPAO IS SUBJECT: NO HAMAS TV TO BE PERMITTED IN DUBAI REF: A) STATE 11634; B) DUBAI 0292 CLASSIFIED BY: Jason Davis, Consul General, Dubai , UAE. REASON: 1.4 (b),(d) ¶1. (C) On January 25 Consul General contacted Dubai Media City CEO Ahmed Bin Byat, intending to deliver Ref A talking points. As soon as he grasped the nature of the conversation, however, Bin Byat interrupted to express shock that the U.S. would even "imagine" that Hamas would be allowed to set up a television or radio station in Dubai Media City. "You know our rules!" he exclaimed (a reference to an earlier conversation, Ref B, about an Iranian TV station, in which Bin Byat had stated categorically that no stations affiliated with political parties were permitted in DMC.) ¶2. (C) CG asked Bin Byat whether it was true that Hamas had applied to set up a satellite TV station in DMC, as had been reported in Al-Hayat, Al-Arabiya, and elsewhere. Bin Byat replied "I did not hear about such an application, but it would not be surprising. We get applications from all kinds of groups in the region, including Iran, but we turn all of them down. Be assured that this will not be a problem." DAVIS