UAE STILL REVIEWING COPENHAGEN ACCORD

C O N F I D E N T I A L ABU DHABI 000031 SIPDIS FOR NEA/ARP (MCGOVERN),NEA/RA (SHAUNFIELD),S/SECC (KASTENBERG) AND OES/EG C (NELSON, LARSEN) E.O. 12958: DECL: 2020/01/25 TAGS: SENV KGHG ENRG AE SUBJECT: UAE STILL REVIEWING COPENHAGEN ACCORD REF: STATE 3079 CLASSIFIED BY: Richard G. Olson, Ambassador; REASON: 1.4(B),(D) ¶1. (SBU) On January 19, Ambassador delivered reftel demarche urging the UAE to associate itself with the Copenhagen Accord to Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Dr. Anwar Gargash. Dr. Gargash said he would look into the status of the UAE position on the Accord. On January 24, Lana Nusseibah, Special Assistant to Dr. Gargash, told EconOff the MFA is leading an interagency UAEG review of the Accord with the Ministries of Energy and Environment. She said the UAE was not yet clear on the details of the Accord, including the implications for the UAE and what the new process of negotiations will entail. Nusseibah said once this review is complete, the MFA will make a decision about association. She expressed interest in the timeframe for US inscription and other countries' steps to associate and/or inscribe, but did not commit to association by January 31. ¶2. (C) On January 21, EconOff delivered reftel demarche to a senior energy advisor to the Government of Abu Dhabi, who said that, to the best of his knowledge, no UAEG entity had begun a review of the COP-15 outcome. He asked for any additional USG details and/or analysis on the outcome (beyond those provided in reftel),noting that Abu Dhabi could undertake a comprehensive review for the UAEG. The advisor explained that there are two climate change camps in the UAE. The progressive group is led by Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Dr. Gargash, in cooperation with the CEO of Masdar (Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company),Dr. Sultan Al Jaber. Although the more conservative Ministries of Energy and Environment tend to follow the OPEC and/or NAM position on climate change, the advisor said the MFA is gaining support for a climate change policy that more closely mirrors that of the United States. ¶3. (SBU) Comment: Although the UAE has not yet thoroughly reviewed the Accord, high-level USG engagement with the Foreign Minister, Dr. Gargash and Sultan Al Jaber could encourage the UAEG to speed up its process. Post will continue to follow up and advise the Department of any opportunities for Washington engagement. As demonstrated in its successful effort to host the interim headquarters of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), the UAE does want to play a role in climate change negotiations and has the capacity to encourage other countries to follow suit. End Comment. OLSON