UAE REQUESTS USG SUPPORT FOR A SEAT ON IMO COUNCIL

UNCLAS ABU DHABI 000899 SIPDIS IO/T FOR THOMAS JOHNSON E FOR EEB/TRA/OTP E.O. 12958: 09/09/2019 TAGS: AORC IMO EWWT PHSA KTIA PREL PGOV SUBJECT: UAE REQUESTS USG SUPPORT FOR A SEAT ON IMO COUNCIL ¶1. (U) This is an action request; please see paragraph 4. ¶2. (SBU) The UAE is seeking U.S. support for a seat on the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Council when the 26th Assembly meets in December. CDA, along with mission chiefs from Argentina, Brazil, Canada, and Venezuela attended a September 9 presentation at the MFA by Director General of the National Transport Authority Dr. Nasser Saif al-Mansoori. Accompanied by senior MFA officials, al-Mansoori explained that the UAE fit the qualifying criteria for an IMO Council seat as a Category C country with a "special interest in maritime transport or navigation and whose election to the Council would ensure the representation of all major geographic areas of the world." ¶3. (SBU) The UAE's pitch for a spot on the IMO Council is based on its increasingly important role as a maritime trade link between east and west. Dubai has long been a regional trading hub and in recent years has become a significant international commercial center. Other UAE ports including Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah are of growing importance, and Abu Dhabi recently began construction of Port Khalifa, a major new shipping center with an adjacent economic zone. A UAE parastatal organization now owns and operates 49 ports in 27 countries. The UAE helped establish the World Maritime University in Sweden and produced more than 4600 graduates at one of its first branches: the Arab Maritime Transport Academy in Sharjah. Al-Mansoori said the UAE's IMO agenda of environmental protection, sailor safety, and maritime security reflects the Emiratis' advancements in these areas and their belief that they now have value to add to the IMO Council. ¶4. (SBU) Action Request: Post requests Department guidance on whether the US can support the UAE for this IMO Council seat in December. End Action Request. ¶5. (SBU) Comment: The well-organized UAE presentation to Chiefs of Mission from the Americas is one of several regional presentations they plan. The emerging campaign to win IMO Council membership reflects growing UAE confidence and interest in becoming more active in major multilateral institutions generally, a dynamic we should support. End Comment. GREENE