GLOBAL INITIATIVE TO COMBAT NUCLEAR TERRORISM - UAE STILL

UNCLAS ABU DHABI 000447 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/17/2033 TAGS: PARM PREL PTER KNNP KGIC DTRA AE SUBJECT: GLOBAL INITIATIVE TO COMBAT NUCLEAR TERRORISM - UAE STILL EVALUATING REF: A. STATE 33031 ¶B. ABU DHABI 326 ¶1. (SBU) Embassy passed ref a non-paper on the global initiative to MFA Director for International Cooperation Yacub Al-Hosani on April 1 and to the Emirate of Abu Dhabi's Executive Affairs Authority (EAA) on April 2. Econchief reiterated our desire to have the UAEG endorse the G-I Statement of Principles at the same time as the signing of the U.S. UAE MOU on Nuclear Energy Cooperation. ¶2. (SBU) Econchief followed up with Al-Hosani on April 4 and with the EAA's Hamad Al-Kaabi on April 6. Both reiterated that their major concern with G-I was ensuring that they would have the personnel required to meet its commitments. Al-Kaabi was very interested in the fact that "no activities are mandatory." He stressed that the UAE would want to participate in relevant activities, but had only a limited pool of technical people to draw on. ¶3. (SBU) Comment: It appears as if the non-paper has helped assuage many of the UAEG's concerns. Ultimately, the working level will need to formulate a recommendation to UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan. We will continue to urge that the UAE endorse the G-I Statement of Principles and will follow up when senior EAA officials return to the country and with UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs later this week. End Comment Quinn