FM SHEIKH ABDULLAH ON SYRIA, IRAQ, FOREIGN

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 03 ABU DHABI 001119

SIPDIS

NOFORN
SIPDIS

DEPT FOR NEA/FO; NEA/ARP; NEA/ELA KALLEN; NEA/I/POL
DLINNET; ISN/WMDT LRAKANI, MDIETER, EHARBAUGH, DINGRAM; T
TKATSAPIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/02/2017
TAGS: PTER KNNP MCAP PINS PARM CJAN ETRD ETTC KPAO
SY, LE, AE
SUBJECT: FM SHEIKH ABDULLAH ON SYRIA, IRAQ, FOREIGN
FIGHTERS, AND LEBANON

REF: A. SECSTATE 92339 (NOTAL)

B. ABU DHABI 804

C. COMUSNAVCENT 260813ZJUN07 (NOTAL)

Classified By: Ambassador Michele J. Sison for reasons 1.4 (b and d).


1. (S) SUMMARY. Ambassador met with Foreign Minister Sheikh
Abdullah (AbZ) on July 2 to urge UAEG measures to stem the
flow of foreign fighters into Iraq and to persuade the Syrian
government to do more on this matter. AbZ undertook to
engage Bashar al Assad on taking action against the travel of
individuals to Iraq to join terrorist or insurgent groups.
AbZ informed Ambassador that he would accompany UAE President
Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed to Damascus for an official visit
July 15-16. The conversation also touched on Lebanon, Iraq,
Palestine/Israel, Iran, and the Global Initiative to Combat
Nuclear Terrorism. END SUMMARY.

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Foreign Fighters; Official Trip to Syria
--------------


2. (S) Ambassador opened the meeting by recalling past
conversations with AbZ and his brother, Crown Prince Sheikh
Mohammed bin Zayed, regarding the need to take action against
the travel of individuals to Iraq to join terrorist or
insurgent groups (Ref A). She highlighted the importance for
enhanced domestic intel efforts, immigration service
vigilance, travel screening, and regional intel sharing on
investigations. AbZ agreed that foreign fighter/suicide
bombers represented urgent threats to Iraq's stability and
undertook to engage Syrian President Bashar al Assad on this
issue.


3. (S) AbZ added that he would be accompanying UAE President
Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed to Damascus on an official visit
July 15-16; this would be the first visit by a UAE President
to Syria since 1996. Ambassador urged AbZ to outline during
the visit the urgency of improved action by the Government of
Syria against the influx of foreign fighters into Iraq
through Syrian airports. She noted that there were a small
number of chokepoints at which the Syrian authorities could,
if they wished to do so, screen suspicious individuals and
thus stem the influx of foreign fighters through Syria into
Iraq. Ambassador also reviewed the recent USG order barring
from entry into the United States those who have worked to
undermine the democratically)elected Siniora government in
Beirut, ratcheting up the pressure on Syria and its allies in
Lebanon. Outside interference in Lebanon continued to
undermine Lebanon's legitimate government, its democratic
institutions, and contributed to politically-motivated
violence and intimidation. (Note: Ambassador also delivered
Ref A points to Yousef al Otaiba, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince
Mohammed bin Zayed's International Affairs Director on 7/1.
Al Otaiba asked whether the same demarche was being delivered
in other capitals, stating that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia"
needs to hear this message.")

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Lebanon--Proposal for a Muslim Force
--------------


4. (C) AbZ noted his discussions in Paris with Lebanese PM
Siniora and his telephone conversation the day earlier with
Sa'ad Hariri on the proposal of a Muslim force for Lebanon.
Morocco, Tunisia, and the UAE would be candidates for such a
force, he said, and he hoped that Saudi Arabia and Egypt
would also express interest. The force would need to be a
"blue brigade," he opined, under a U.N. mandate -- not UNSCR

1701. It would need to be separate from UNIFIL, as well. The
level of UAE's participation would have to be reviewed
carefully, AbZ admitted, given current UAE Special Forces and
Armed Forces commitments in Afghanistan.

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Iraqi National Security Advisor al Rubaie's
Visit to Abu Dhabi

ABU DHABI 00001119 002 OF 003


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5. (S/NF) AbZ confirmed to Ambassador that Iraqi National
Security Advisor Muwaffaq al Rubaie had visited Abu Dhabi on
June 28 to meet with him and Sheikh Hazza bin Zayed (State
Security Director and UAE National Security Advisor). Al
Rubaie had briefed AbZ and Hazza (separately) on security
developments in Iraq and thanked the UAE for the
reconstruction and humanitarian assistance it provides to
Iraq through the Red Crescent and other organizations. There
was agreement that the Group of Six (UAE, Turkey, Jordan,
Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait) would invite Iraq's security
chief to their next meeting, said AbZ. Al Rubaie also agreed
to work with the UAEG to identify a location for a new UAE
chancery in Baghdad near the Presidency or Foreign Ministry.

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Palestinian Issues
--------------


6. (C) Ambassador noted the UAE's recent statement of support
for the choice of Tony Blair as the Quartet Representative.
AbZ emphasized his hope that Blair would be able to push
forward the Middle East peace process and end the current
stalemate. Israel's transfer of $119 million in taxes to the
Palestinians should not be viewed as "a gift," argued AbZ.
Israel's decision to freeze transfers after the 2006
elections had played directly into the hands of Hamas, he
criticized. Furthermore, jailed Fatah leader Marwan
Barghouti "had to be released." AbZ noted that he and his al
Nahyan ruling family brothers had conveyed this belief to USG
several times in the past. AbZ said he was not optimistic
that Israel would make such a move, however.


7. (C) Ambassador commented on the lifting of USG financial
restrictions on the Palestinian Government, which would
enable American business and financial institutions to resume
normal ties with the Palestinian Government. The new
Palestinian government of Prime Minister Salam Fayyad needed
additional support, agreed AbZ.

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U.S. Navy Presence in the Gulf
--------------


8. (S/NF) Drawing on points provided by NAVCENT (Ref C),
Ambassador noted recent erroneous Israeli and Iranian media
reports speculating that the USS Enterprise would soon join
the USS John C. Stennis and USS Nimitz in the Gulf as part of
a buildup against Iran. NAVCENT would be engaging with the
media in the days ahead and Fifth Fleet Commander Admiral
Cosgriff had wanted the UAEG to be aware of the context of
any statements made. Ambassador reminded AbZ of the global
rhythm and maritime stability mission of U.S. Navy
deployments and noted that it was not unusual for any of the
forward U.S. fleets, such as the Fifth Fleet, to have one or
more Carrier Strike Groups move in or out of the region as
the carriers moved around the world in their operational
cycles. (Note: This information had been shared the day
earlier with Yousef al Otaiba, Director for International
Affairs for Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed.) AbZ
expressed appreciation for this update.

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U.S. Treasury Interest in Reaching out to
Financial Institutions Regarding Iran
--------------


9. (S) Noting that UAE MinState Finance Khirbash had met with
U/S Treasury Stuart Levey on June 29 in Washington, D.C.,
Ambassador informed AbZ that Khirbash had been provided with
a list of international financial institutions with known
banking relationships with Iranian entities. The U.S. hoped
that the UAE authorities would reach out to the individuals
handling Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA) and other
government funds to encourage them to pressure the
international financial institutions they deal with to

ABU DHABI 00001119 003 OF 003


isolate Iran. (Note: The issue of Emirati support to
isolate Iran financially through quiet outreach to ADIA and
other money managers had last been raised during a May 17
Washington, D.C. meeting involving Treasury Secretary
Paulson, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed, and AbZ.
The list of banks was also shared with Yousef al Otaiba.)

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Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT)
--------------


10. (SBU) Ambassador reviewed the latest round of discussions
between the Embassy and the UAE Ministry of Justice on an
MLAT and our intention to re-launch MLAT negotiations in
mid-October after Ramadan. She noted that the U.S. had
well-established MLATs with Egypt and Morocco, but none yet
with any Gulf country. AbZ agreed that an MLAT, which would
define areas for mutual legal assistance, would be in the
interest of both nations.

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Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism
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11. (C) Ambassador reviewed the U.S. ) Russia approach on
the Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism,
highlighting the Embassy's March and May presentations to MFA
senior officials. The June 11-12 meeting of partner nations
in Astana had come and gone; did the UAE intend to join? AbZ
accepted the background material and Embassy's two diplomatic
notes on the initiative, and undertook to provide an official
reply soon.

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US-UAE "TIFA-Plus" Meeting
--------------


12. (SBU) Ambassador and AbZ noted the expiration of the U.S.
Trade Promotion Authority, and turned to the June 29
TIFA-Plus meeting held in Washington. The USTR-hosted
meeting had been the first formal bilateral trade discussions
since the joint decision in March to suspend Free Trade
Agreement negotiations. UAE Minister of Economy Sheikha
Lubna and Minister of State for Finance Khirbash had
expressed interest in a Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT),
shared views on the issue of transshipment of counterfeit IPR
goods, and agreed that a digital economy agreement would be a
good next step, said AbZ. Ambassador and AbZ agreed that
continuing the bilateral economic dialogue was an excellent
goal.

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Al Jazeera and CENTCOM Media Engagement Team Dubai
-------------- --------------


13. (SBU) The issue of Al Jazeera's use of identifying
information linking the CENTCOM Dubai Media Engagement Team's
presence to UAE has long been neuralgic for AbZ; he has
welcomed the presence of the CENTCOM office as long as UAE
was not publicly associated with it. AbZ had telephoned
Ambassador on June 20, irate, to protest that Al Jazeera had
once again run a background and banner identifying the
CENTCOM media team's location in Dubai. Ambassador had
explained that there was a standing request that Al Jazeera
not associate the CENTCOM team with Dubai or UAE in any way.
The June 20 error had been blamed on an Al Jazeera control
room miscommunication in Doha. Ambassador informed AbZ that
on July 1, an Al Jazeera producer in Doha had put a "Live
from Dubai" banner on the screen during a 13-minute interview
with CENTCOM Media Team Director Captain Vic Beck. Captain
Beck's deputy saw the program as it aired and worked behind
the scenes to get the Dubai identification taken off the
screen after minute four. AbZ commented that Al Jazeera
seemed to wish CENTCOM mischief.

SISON