BLUE LANTERN: DISCUSSIONS WITH EMBASSY AND

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 03 STATE 058327

NOFORN
SIPDIS

C O R R E C T E D COPY CAPTION AND REMOVING
SENSITIVE (CLASSIFICATION)

ABU DHABI FOR OLIVER JOHN
ECON
DUBAI FOR DANUSIA HUBAH

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/16/2023
TAGS: ETTC KOMC OTRA PARM PREL AE
SUBJECT: BLUE LANTERN: DISCUSSIONS WITH EMBASSY AND
EMIRATI OFFICIALS FEBRUARY 24-27

REF: ABU DHABI 325

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Classified By: David C. Trimble for reasons 1.4(a),(b),and (d)


1. (SBU) SUMMARY: Compliance Specialist Judd Stitziel from
the Department's Office of Defense Trade Controls Compliance
(PM/DTCC) met February 24-27 with country team and Emirati
officials to discuss implementation of the Blue Lantern
end-use monitoring program and other defense trade issues in
the United Arab Emirates. Internal discussions focused on
the UAE as a hub of gray arms activity. In Abu Dhabi,
Stitziel briefed the Blue Lantern program to senior MOD
General Headquarters logistics officers and attendees of the
US-UAE Counterproliferation Task Force Meeting. In Dubai,
internal USG discussions with the Iran Regional Presence
Office, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, and others
focused on the region as a major transshipment hub and the
Emiratis, balance between promoting commerce and preventing
gray arms trafficking. The visit helped to inform and
improve communication about Blue Lantern and gray arms
trafficking while solidifying host government understanding
of and support for the program.


2. (S/NF) The UAE has long been a major nexus of illicit
diversions of U.S.-origin defense articles. Contributing
factors include the UAE's nascent export control laws,
limited enforcement capacity, proximity to Iran, heavy trade
volume with Iran, and the limited controls and accountability
of Dubai's free trade zone. While USG agencies are aware of
many Iranian front companies and illicit shipments of
US-origin defense articles to Iran via the UAE, much less is
known about how these items reach the UAE in the first place.
UAEG cooperation with Blue Lantern checks has been generally
good, if often slow, and USG officials have been able to
conduct Blue Lantern site visits to private UAE companies
without incident. END SUMMARY.


3. (U) Administered by PM/DDTC's Office of Defense Trade
Controls Compliance (PM/DTCC),Blue Lantern is a global
program designed to verify the end-use, end-users, and
disposition of commercially exported defense articles,
technology, and services. This visit to the UAE was part of
PM/DTCC's ongoing efforts to improve the effectiveness of
Blue Lantern through outreach visits with posts and host
governments.

UAE MOD LOGISTICS DEPARTMENT ON BOARD WITH BLUE LANTERN


4. (U) Stitziel met with the head of the Logistics Department
at the UAE MOD's General Headquarters, Col. Saeed
Al-Dakhamdi, and several of his colleagues to discuss the
Blue Lantern program on February 24. Since Col. Dakhamdi had
responded to several Blue Lantern inquiries in the past, he
was able to help explain the rationale and benefits of the
program to his colleagues who were present and recently
joined the Logistics Department. Discussion focused on how
to make end-use checks run as smoothly and efficiently as
possible. Col. Dakhamdi explained the MOD's procurement and
accounting procedures, including the following: The
Logistics Department's Director General is the only person
who is authorized to sign end-user statements and U.S.
Department of State Nontransfer and Use Certificates (Form
DSP-83); and all contracts, end-use statements, and purchase
orders must contain a detailed itemized list of contents.
Col. Dakhamdi commented that purchase order numbers greatly
assist the MOD in responding to Blue Lantern inquiries as
quickly as possible. Stitziel responded that the USG always
provides as much specific information as possible, but in
some cases purchase order numbers are not available, perhaps
precisely because the MOD never placed the order in question.
The meeting closed with both sides agreeing on the value of
continuing to strengthen bilateral cooperation and
communication through the Blue Lantern program.

INTERNAL BLUE LANTERN BRIEFINGS WITH EMBASSY PERSONNEL

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5. (SBU) Stitziel briefed the Blue Lantern program to members
of the country team, including Nasir Khan, Bureau of Industry
and Security (BIS),Department of Commerce (DOC); Ransom
Avilla, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Attache;
Lt. Col. Jeffrey Hancock, USMC, Deputy Chief, United States
Liaison Office; Erika Wanamaker, Political-Military Officer;
and Oliver John, Economic Officer. The Economic Section is
responsible for coordinating Blue Lantern checks in the UAE.
The program in the UAE is one of the most important in the
world, with post conducting a significant number of checks
(86 initiated since 2003),of which almost 60 percent have
been pre-license checks.


6. (SBU) Participants discussed specific past challenges of
the program in the UAE, including heavy caseloads, limited
personnel resources on both the US and Emirati sides, and
sometimes lengthy delays in responding to Blue Lantern
requests. Given the Economic Section's limited resources and
time, Stitziel encouraged post to draw on the full range of
country team resources, including ICE, DOD's Liaison Office,
and Foreign Commercial Service (FCS),when conducting checks.
Post already has demonstrated good cooperation between DOS
and DOC in sharing information gathered through the Blue
Lantern program and DOC's Extrancheck end-use monitoring
program. Although generally responsive to requests to
confirm orders and to verify the bona fides of suppliers
listed on license applications, Emirati MOD officers
sometimes do not respond in a timely manner.


7. (SBU) After being briefed on the Blue Lantern program,
Col. Bret Rider, U.S. Defense and Air Attache, commented that
he has conducted several Blue Lantern checks but generally
does not receive information about ultimate results.
Stitziel explained that PM/DTCC is working to improve the
feedback loop by regularly informing post of the licensing
decisions made as a result of Blue Lantern checks.

COUNTERPROLIFERATION TASK FORCE MEETING


8. (SBU) Stitziel briefed the Blue Lantern program to the
US-UAE Counterproliferation Task Force Meeting on February

25. As reported reftel, Acting ISN Assistant Secretary
Patricia McNerney led the interagency US delegation, while
Brigadier General Mohammad bin Dhaen al Qemzi, Director of
Dubai's General Department of State Security (GDSS),led an
interagency UAE delegation of more than a dozen members. The
Emirati officials expressed appreciation for the briefing and
pledged continued cooperation with the program.

DUBAI INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL MEETINGS


9. (SBU) As a member of the interagency delegation led by
AA/S McNerney, Stitziel met with Dubai Customs officials at
Port Rashid, led by Mohammed Matar Al Marri, Executive
Director of Seaports, and Abbas Abdullah Makki, Director of
International Relations. Formal discussions focused on
shipments seized at the USG's request, the export control law
enacted by the UAE in 2007, and the Emiratis' expressed
desire for clearer, more consistent, and more detailed
information and requests from US officials concerning
interdictions. Al Marri claimed that the vast majority of
goods imported into and transshipped through the UAE are
consumer products, not "bad items," and that people come to
the UAE to make money, not to commit crimes. In contrast to
the intrusive and sometimes offensive searches conducted by
US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents, Al Marri
claimed that Dubai Customs checks for and finds the same
types of items, but does so in a "nice way." During informal
sidebar discussions, Stitziel briefed several Dubai Customs
officials on the Blue Lantern program.


10. (SBU) During a debriefing at Consulate General Dubai, USG
officials explained that Dubai Customs is still a regulatory
rather than a law enforcement agency, and that UAE officials
are sensitive to the large number of delegations from the US
which give a variety of sometimes competing and confusing
messages and requests.


11. (S/NF) Jillian Burns, Director of ConGen Dubai's Iran
Regional Presence Office (IRPO),briefed Stitziel and other
USG officials on IRPO's responsibilities, products, and
activities. The UAEG recently has started to make life a
little more difficult for the approximately 450,000 Iranians
in the UAE, according to Burns. This has included
restrictions on Iranians' ability to come and go and to
obtain residence permits and citizenship. United Nations

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sanctions also have raised the cost of doing business for
Iranians, many of whom view the UAE as equivalent to Hong
Kong and Iran as equivalent to mainland China.


12. (SBU) Stitziel briefed the Blue Lantern program and
discussed various technology protection issues with Douglas
Einsel, Resident Agent in Charge, U.S. Naval Criminal
Investigative Service (NCIS). In addition to sharing his
knowledge and experiences in Dubai, Einsel put Stitziel in
contact with an FBI agent in the US who is currently working
a case involving United States Munitions List (USML) articles.


13. (SBU) Political officer Danusia Hubah arranged a meeting
with Commander David Bancroft, Naval Co-operation & Guidance
for Shipping, Maritime Trade Operations (Dubai),United
Kingdom Royal Navy, on February 27. In addition to
discussing the Blue Lantern program and illicit arms
trafficking around the Arabian Peninsula and Horn of Africa,
Bancroft gave Stitziel the names of several companies for
inclusion on PM/DTCC's Watchlist and put Stitziel in contact
with Juliana Ruhfus of the U.N. Somalia Monitoring Group, who
provided additional information concerning illicit activities
in the region.


14. (C) In order to gain a first-hand impression of the
workings of the import/export business in Dubai, Hubah gave
Stitziel an informal tour of Dubai's "Creek," an inlet of the
Persian Gulf whose banks are stacked high with all kinds of
goods that are loaded on and off dhows which ferry to and
from Iran. Given the heavy volume and chaotic nature of
trade and the limited resources of Dubai Customs, one can
imagine the relative ease with which USML articles can be
illicitly shipped to Iran.


15. (U) PM/DDTC would like to express its gratitude to
Embassy Abu Dhabi and ConGen Dubai, and especially economic
officer Oliver John and political officer Danusia Hubah for
their work in helping to arrange and execute this visit.
RICE