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