UAE on Situation in Yemen and "Friends of Yemen" Next Steps

C O N F I D E N T I A L ABU DHABI 000077 SIPDIS FOR NEA/ARP E.O. 12958: DECL: 2020/02/14 TAGS: PREL PGOV PINS PTER YM AE SUBJECT: UAE on Situation in Yemen and "Friends of Yemen" Next Steps CLASSIFIED BY: Richard Olson, Ambassador; REASON: 1.4(B),(D) ¶1. (C) On February 14, Assistant Minister for Political Affairs Tariq Al Haidan summoned the Ambassador and British ChargC) d'Affaires Ian Wood to the MFA seeking guidance from the US and UK on Friends of Yemen (FOY) goals and the UAEG's role. Haidan welcomed the recent cease-fire agreement between the ROYG and the Houthi rebels and said it was now time to focus on governance issues. Haidan confirmed the UAEG's willingness to chair the FOY working group on economics and governance, with Germany as vice-chair, and requested detailed instructions regarding desired outcomes. He suggested a working group meeting in March in preparation for an early April FOY Ministerial, which the UAE will consider hosting. ¶2. (C) Haidan was joined by MFA's Director of Arab Affairs Ambassador Mohammed Sultan Al Suwaidi, who accompanied Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan (AbZ) to the Yemen conference in London January 27. Haidan and Suwaidi said AbZ wanted more information on FOY progress. Haidan expressed a willingness to use the economics and governance working group to achieve any outcome desired by the US and UK, and asked "How do you want it?" British ChargC) told Haidan Foreign Secretary David Miliband would distribute a proposal for the FOY soon and suggested the UAEG compare notes with Germany on potential areas of concern. ¶3. (C) Haidan acknowledged continued security threats from Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and the southern separatist movement. He suggested the ROYG and FOY could take advantage of the cease-fire in the north and turn towards matters of governance. He advised that the state of the Yemeni economy is a primary concern for GCC neighbors and criticized the ROYG for general incompetence. Haidan said the security situation in Yemen "is getting better, now we need the government to get better." ¶4. (C) While UK is on the hook to provide additional guidance, the UAE would clearly welcome ideas from Washington on how it should structure the FOY working group and on what outcomes we seek. OLSON